All I know is ...

The correspondence column of The Times is currently carrying letters on the subject of “correlation does not imply causation” – the latest example being between the number of Baptist ministers in Alabama & the birthrate in Mexico (the writer, sadly, does not specify whether the numerical association is a positive or negative one).

I look forward to the extension of the discussion to cover those cases where lack of correlation does not imply lack of causation, & a consideration of how we know – straight away, in our bones & in our water – that some correlations are, obviously, spurious.