Fallacy Of The Single Cause- And The Three Blindmen

From politics to personal relationships, we often try to boil complex situations down to one root cause.

In our quest for answers, it’s tempting to latch onto one explanation and ignore everything else. Is it not?

We all want to understand why things happen, and if things dont turn out the way we want, we always look for a PATSY!

Surprise! It is just the Fallacy of The Single Cause.

This article discusses the fallacy of the single cause, what it is, how to guard against it, and real-life examples.

Understanding the Fallacy Of The Single Cause

The fallacy of the single cause, also called “Cause-Effect Fallacy” or “Joint Simplification,” is a cognitive bias in which one explains an event caused by a single factor.

This problem arises when we oversimplify our thinking and fail to consider multiple alternative causes or outcomes. One of the reasons we take this approach is because, as humans, we tend to dislike uncertainty, especially regarding how things will unfold.

The single-cause fallacy is often misused, especially in politics and propaganda. This delusion can be damaging because it oversimplifies complex issues, preventing people from understanding the full picture and addressing all underlying causes. It is frequently used in politics and propaganda to manipulate public opinion by presenting a simplistic explanation for a complex issue.

To understand this oversimplification fallacy, let’s take the case of a student who performs poorly in an exam. Who should be blamed here?

Teacher’s poor teaching skills
Poor health
Unable to understand the study material
Did not study
Power cut

What if the root cause was something else? What was the reason or reasons?

Even though it may seem simpler to think in terms of single causality, such thinking can lead us astray and prevent us from seeing the whole picture.

Exploited And Exploiters

The fallacy of the single cause is a universal cognitive bias that affects everyone to some degree. Its main victims are those who fail to think critically, remain open-minded, and consider multiple perspectives before drawing conclusions or making assumptions. Individuals who tend to draw the findings hastily and need to obtain adequate evidence may be more likely to get caught in this situation.

The fallacy can also be used for wrong purposes. For instance, persuasive speakers can take advantage of this bias by highlighting only one possible cause as the root of an issue, even when other factors may have played a role.

Salespeople and advertisers often use this fallacy to their benefit by convincing people that only their product or service will solve their problem when a variety of solutions are available.

Day-To-Day The Fallacy Of The Single Cause

Parents blame a child’s bad grades solely on laziness without considering other factors such as learning disabilities or lack of support from teachers.
A person claims that all homeless people are lazy as they want to escape to work instead of acknowledging systemic inequalities.
Television commercials convince you that their product is the only solution to your needs rather than highlighting the advantages of various options available.
A car mechanic sells you unnecessary repairs, claiming they are essential for fixing the problem instead of admitting that the cause is entirely different.

Recognizing When You Are Slipping Into The Fallacy Of The Single Cause Trap

Recognizing the fallacy of the single cause can be difficult, as it often involves considering multiple points of view and examining evidence from various sources. Some few signs that may indicate you’re falling into this trap:

Assuming that one factor is responsible for an event or outcome without considering other potential causes.

Making decisions based on only one source of information instead of looking at data from different perspectives.

Believing that a complex problem has a simple solution instead of acknowledging the various aspects of finding a resolution.

Overcoming The Fallacy Of The Single Cause

Acknowledge your own biases and recognize that you may be wrong about something.
Seek out multiple perspectives on a problem or situation and take the time to weigh all of the possible options.
Investigate causality from multiple angles instead of jumping to conclusions about a single cause.
Consider the complexity of any given system before assigning blame to just one factor.
Ask questions, research, and use logic to draw better conclusions instead of listening only to those around you who may have an agenda or limited understanding of the issue.
Try to identify patterns within the data so that trends can be easily spotted instead of assigning responsibility based on isolated incidents or happenings.
Always remain open-minded and challenge yourself to think critically in order to identify any underlying assumptions that could lead you astray.

Finally Thoughts

There is a famous parable about blind men and the elephant that illustrates the fallacy of a single cause. It narrates how three blind men encounter an elephant for the first time, and when each touches a different part of the animal, they come up with different theories about what the object is.

When one blind man touches the tail, he thinks the elephant is a rope, then the second person touches the trunk and thinks of a snake, and when the third blind person touches the leg, he thinks it is a tree’s trunk.

Here, each man insists he is right based on his limited perspective, but they are all wrong because they fail to see the whole picture. So, the moral of the story- It is important to consider multiple perspectives and avoid the fallacy of attributing a complex issue to a single cause.

Finally

The single-cause fallacy may seem like an easy way to explain complex issues, but it can ultimately lead to misunderstandings and ineffective solutions. So it is for you to embrace the complexity and understand the problem in a better way. Remember, the truth is rarely as simple as we might wish it to be. Interesting post ? Then do, subscribe to our newsletter.

Reference

The above article is based on the book Thinking Clearly; this article is here to help us learn and understand how our minds can be tricked by something called cognitive biases.