> Unless I'm mistaken, correlated means there is a relation
Well the short rude answer is you are mistaken. The longer answer is that some correlated things have underlying causal relationships: one causes the other, vice versa, or a third unspecified correlate is causative.
But see that word some ? It's important. Because some are entirely unrelated, and the word correlated is not co-related in a causative sense. You might find piracy corollelates with consumption of potato chips. It doesn't have to mean anything.
The relation goes to trend: up or down. Positive or negative correlation. Why? The "why" kind of related, is different. Correlation is observed relationship, not functional, actual, causative relationship until a mechanistc reason is found, or it's absence is understood, and it's just.. pirates and chips.
The problem here is english. "Related" has different meanings.
> Correlation is observed relationship, not functional, actual, causative relationship until a mechanistc reason is found, or it's absence is understood, and it's just.. pirates and chips.
Be careful though: causal relationships exist where they do, and humans may not be able to find them and thus classify a causal relationship as merely a correlation.
I think correlation != causation misleads a lot of people on places like Reddit.
Well the short rude answer is you are mistaken. The longer answer is that some correlated things have underlying causal relationships: one causes the other, vice versa, or a third unspecified correlate is causative.
But see that word some ? It's important. Because some are entirely unrelated, and the word correlated is not co-related in a causative sense. You might find piracy corollelates with consumption of potato chips. It doesn't have to mean anything.
The relation goes to trend: up or down. Positive or negative correlation. Why? The "why" kind of related, is different. Correlation is observed relationship, not functional, actual, causative relationship until a mechanistc reason is found, or it's absence is understood, and it's just.. pirates and chips.
The problem here is english. "Related" has different meanings.