What is the difference between correlation and causality? What does science say?
Let’s dive right in and describe the main differences between these two common terms.
The first edition of Causality has led to a paradigmatic change in the way that causality is treated in statistics, philosophy, computer science, social science, and economics. Cited in more than 2,800 scientific publications, it continues to liber-ate scientists from the traditional molds of statistical thinking. In this revised edition. The change, energy, process, and transference accounts converge in treating connection in terms of process: causing is physical producing. Thus a large part of the controversy over connection may, in practice, be reduced to the question of whether connection is a matter of probability or process (Section 2.1).
Correlation Reports: The Solution for Large SEO Analysis
When running an SEO analysis for a high number of factors, the best approach to identify correlations between different factors is to user the correlation algorithm as Spearman, Kendall or Pearson. This allows us to understand if 2 different factors are changing on the same time in the same direction, and to estimate the influence level they might have on each other.
Causality Berserk
To understand how exactly the Spearman Correlation Algorithm works you shall check the next Youtube video:
Correlation vs Causality
This might seem a simple question to answer. However, many people tend to mix up these two relationship,often causing incorrect conclusions .
Let’s see what each of the two terms mean :
Correlation
A relation between “phenomena or things or between mathematical or statistical variables which tend to vary, be associated, or occur together in a way not expected on the basis of chance alone”,according to Merriam-Webster
Correlation has a value between -1 and 1, where:
- 1 would be a perfect correlation
- 0 will be no correlation
- -1 is a negative correlation defined as a relationship between two variables in which one variable increases as the other decreases, and vice versa.
This is one of the best ways to establish relationships between variables; it is one of the good methods that helps us find a common link between seemingly unrelated items.
However, it doesn’t tell us enough about values. It is mainly used to group two variables and predict how the first will change when the second changes.
Correlation examples
For example, if they are fully correlated this will imply that the value of first will increase (or decrease) in the same amount (percentage) as the value of second.
Correlation doesn’t only work for site content and SEO but can also be used for statistics, acquiring scientific evidence, risk control, improving technology, health industry and when performing various studies.
Causality
The relation between something that happens and the thing that causes it . The first thing that happens is the cause and the second thing is the effect .
It is very important to know that correlation does not mean causality. While correlation is a mutual connection between two or more things, causality is the action of causing something.
Causality examples
For example, there is a correlation between ice cream sales and the temperature, as you can see in the chart below .
Causal relationship is something that can be used by any company.
As you can easily see, warmer weather caused more sales and this means that there is a correlation between the two. However, we can’t say that ice cream sales cause hot weather (this would be a causation).
Same correlation can be found between Sunglasses and the Ice Cream Sales but again the cause for both is the outdoor temperature.
You have to be careful when observing a certain problem.
For example, this test may imply that people eat more food during summer. This is of course not true as it is obvious that people need to cool off during summer.
To understand better the difference between correlation and causality ,watch this movie .
How can I use correlation and causation for SEO?
This difference must be taken into consideration for SEO analysis when trying to identify the causality between different factors.
Causality
Before you can judge certain events you need to view them from different perspectives. As you study different SEO factors, you will learn more about real relationships which will be important for making well-educated guesses.
For example, inexperienced person will think there is a correlation between large amount number of links and higher rankings. However, based on this, any web expert will tell you that this is in fact causality (you get positions because of the links).
As you work more within the field you will able to asses and rate these popular situations. If you want to have a bigger perspective on the picture, you need to analyze tons of data. You can use our API to get any type of SEO data you need.
Causality Meaning
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Cosmological arguments attempt to prove God’s existence by observing the world around us (the cosmos). They begin with what is most obvious in reality: things exist. It is then argued that the cause of those things’ existence had to be a “God-type” thing. These types of arguments go all the way back to Plato and have been used by notable philosophers and theologians ever since. Science finally caught up with theologians in the twentieth century, when the fact that the universe had a beginning was confirmed. So, today, the cosmological arguments are even powerful for non-philosophers.There are two basic forms of cosmological arguments, and the easiest way to think of them might be the “vertical” and the “horizontal.” These names indicate the direction from which the causes come. The argument in the vertical form is that every created thing is being caused right now (imagine a timeline with an arrow pointing up from the universe to God). The horizontal version shows that creation had to have a cause in the beginning (imagine that same timeline, only with an arrow pointing backward to a beginning point in time).
The horizontal cosmological argument, also called the kalam cosmological argument, is a little easier to understand because it does not require much philosophizing. The basic argument is that all things that have beginnings had to have causes. The universe had a beginning; therefore, the universe had a cause. That cause, being outside the whole universe, is God. Someone might say that some things are caused by other things, but this does not negate the argument, because those other things had to have causes, too, and this cannot go on forever.
Causality Script Writing
To illustrate the kalam, or the horizontal cosmological argument, let’s take a simple example: trees. All trees began to exist at some point (for they have not always existed). Each tree had its beginning in a seed (the “cause” of the tree). But every seed had its beginning (its “cause”) in another tree. There cannot be an infinite series of tree-seed-tree-seed, because no series is infinite. All series are finite (limited) by definition. There is no such thing as an infinite number, because even the number series is limited (although you can always add one more, you are always at a finite number). If there is an end, it is not infinite. All series have two endings, actually—one at the end and one at the beginning (try to imagine a one-ended stick!). If there were no first cause, then the chain of causes never would have started. Therefore, there is, at the beginning at least, a first cause—one that had no beginning. This first cause is God.
The vertical form of cosmological argument is a bit more difficult to understand, but it is more powerful. Not only does the vertical argument show that God had to cause the “chain of causes” in the beginning, but it shows He must still be causing things to exist right now. Again, we begin by noting that things exist. Next, while we often tend to think of existence as a property that things sort of “own”—that once something is created, existence is just part of what it is—this is not the case. Consider the triangle. We can define a triangle as “the plane figure formed by connecting three points not in a straight line by straight line segments.” Notice what is not part of this definition: existence.
This definition of a triangle would hold true even if no triangles existed at all. Therefore, a triangle’s nature—what it is—does not guarantee that one exists (like unicorns—we know what they are, but that does not make them exist). Because it is not part of a triangle’s nature to exist, triangles must be made to exist by something else that already exists (someone must draw a triangle). The triangle is thus caused by something else—which also must have a cause. This cannot go on forever (there are no infinite series). Therefore, something that does not need to be given existence must exist to give everything else existence.
Now, apply this example to everything in the universe. Does any of it exist on its own? No. So, the universe had to have a first cause to get started, and it also needs something to give it existence right now. The only thing that would not have to be given existence is a thing that exists as its very nature. It is existence. This something would always exist, have no cause, have no beginning, have no limit, be outside of time, and be infinite. That something is God, the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1–2).