The fallacy of the single cause, also known as joint effect or causal oversimplification, is a logical fallacy of causation that occurs when it is assumed that there is one, simple cause of an outcome when in reality it may have been caused by a number of only jointly sufficient causes. In philosophy, the term logical fallacy properly refers to a formal fallacy: a flaw in the structure of a deductive argument which renders the argument invalid. ... Fallacies of questionable cause, also known as causal fallacies, non causa pro causa (non-cause for cause in Latin) or false cause, are informal fallacies where a cause is incorrectly identified. ...

Often after a tragedy it is asked, "What was the cause of this?" Such language implies that there is one cause, when instead there were probably a large number of contributing factors. However, having produced a list of several contributing factors, it may be worthwhile to look for a single cause underlying several of those factors.

For instance, after a school shooting, editorialists debate whether it was caused by the shooter's parents, TV violence, stress on students, Hollywood or the accessibility of guns. In fact many different causes including some of those may all have necessarily contributed. The Columbine High shooters caught on a security camera during their rampage A school massacre is an incident of attempted mass murder involving at least one actual death that occurs at a school. ...

What caused the September 11, 2001 attacks is another prominent topic of discussion that may invoke this fallacy. The explosion resulting from the crashing of United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower. ...

The fallacy was portrayed in an episode of The Simpsons, "Much Apu About Nothing", in which Apu takes a citizenship test: The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox network. ... Much Apu About Nothing is the 23rd episode of The Simpsons seventh season. ... APU may refer to: Anglia Polytechnic University, now known as Anglia Ruskin University. ...

Proctor: All right, here's your last question. What was the cause of the Civil War?

Apu: Actually, there were numerous causes. Aside from the obvious schism between the abolitionists and the anti-abolitionists, there were economic factors, both domestic and inter--

Proctor: Wait, wait... just say slavery.

Apu: Slavery it is, sir.

Causal oversimplification is a specific kind of false dilemma where conjoint possibilities are ignored. In other words, the possible causes are assumed to be "A or B or C" when "A and B and C" or "A and B and not C" (etc.) are not taken into consideration. The Civil War is by far the most common term for this conflict; see Naming the American Civil War. ... The logical fallacy of false dilemma (in some sources falsified dilemma), which is also known as fallacy of the excluded middle, false dichotomy, either/or dilemma or bifurcation, involves a situation in which two alternative points of view are held to be the only options, when in reality there exist...

See also

• Joint effect