causal link
Why something happens
A causal link is a connection between events or conditions where one brings about the other.
The term appears frequently in legal, scientific, and philosophical contexts: The plaintiff must establish a causal link between the defendant's negligence and the injury.
Proving causal links—rather than mere correlation—is central to establishing responsibility or understanding mechanisms.
Result of a cause
- consequenceResult of an action
- outcomeFinal result of events
- resultWhat follows a cause
- impactForceful contact or consequence
determinant · antecedent · precipitant · catalyst · trigger · source · origin · factor
Connecting central point
- chainLinked segments forming length
- sequenceOrdered succession of elements
- networkInterconnected system
- interplayReciprocal action between things
bond · tie · bridge · coupling · interconnection · web · junction · interface
Conclusion reached through reasoning
- deductionConclusion from premises
- inductionFormal admission process
- logicScience of valid reasoning
- explanationStatement making something clear
hypothesis · premise · conclusion · argumentation · evidence · justification · proof · rationale
Doctrine of causal necessity
- necessityIndispensable requirement
- contingencyUncertain possible event
- sufficient conditionWhat ensures a conclusion
- necessary conditionRequired for outcome possibility
regularity · Hume · intervention · manipulation · agency · free will · fatalism · teleology
Statistical relationship measure
- variableProne to fluctuation
- regressionReturn to former state
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
- control groupUntreated subjects for comparison
confound · spurious · intervention · randomization · mechanism · mediation · moderation · covariance
effect
Result of a cause
- consequenceResult of an action
- outcomeFinal result of events
- resultWhat follows a cause
impact · determinant · antecedent · precipitant · catalyst · trigger · source · origin · factor · agent
nexus
Connecting central point
- chainLinked segments forming length
- sequenceOrdered succession of elements
- networkInterconnected system
interplay · bond · tie · bridge · coupling · interconnection · web · junction · interface · entanglement
inference
Conclusion reached through reasoning
explanation · hypothesis · premise · conclusion · argumentation · evidence · justification · proof · rationale · syllogism
determinism
Doctrine of causal necessity
- necessityIndispensable requirement
- contingencyUncertain possible event
- sufficient conditionWhat ensures a conclusion
necessary condition · regularity · Hume · intervention · manipulation · agency · free will · fatalism · teleology · karma
correlation
Statistical relationship measure
- variableProne to fluctuation
- regressionReturn to former state
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
control group · confound · spurious · intervention · randomization · mechanism · mediation · moderation · covariance · statistical significance
- connectionslinks, connect, connection, tie, ties
- legal causationsine qua non, foreseeability, remoteness, natural consequence, legal consequence
causal linkcoincidence
Unplanned matching of events
correlation · chance occurrence · confounding · happenstance · fluke
causal linkindependence
Freedom from external control
disconnection · unrelatedness · unrelated · isolation · separation
link, cause, caused, linkage, causes, causing, causeless, causal, causality