In statistics, for example, this fallacy is referred to as a spurious correlation. Two variables are seen to be related (i.e., correlated) because a third variable influences both of them.

The enemies of rational thought can take one of several overlapping forms, including formal fallacy and informal fallacy, cognitive bias, cognitive distortion, and self-deception.

An informal fallacy is an attempt at making a logical argument where there’s a failure in the reasoning itself. This can stem from a number of causes, such as the misapplication of words and ...