Editing 111: Firefox and Witchcraft - The Connection?

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==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
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The comic charts the number of members of the religion {{w|Wicca}} against the number of times the {{w|Firefox}} web browser  was downloaded, with the implication being that Firefox usage causes involvement in Wicca. In juxtaposing these almost certainly unrelated phenomena, Randall highlights the common error of assuming that {{w|Correlation_and_dependence|correlation}} implies {{w|Causality|causation}}. When two variables exhibit similar trends, this is often taken as proving that one is causing the other. However, such correlation may have come about through pure coincidence, and not indicate any link between the two at all. This is particularly a problem when examining a large number of variables: the chances of finding a [http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations coincidental correlation] increase exponentially as more variables are added. It may also be the case that a third factor is causally linked to both outcomes. In this case, it is plausible that the increasing ubiquity of internet access has resulted in increased demand for Firefox, and also in greater capacity to share the ideas of Wicca.
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The comic shows a chart between the # of members of the pagan religion {{w|Wicca}} and the # of times Mozilla's web browser {{w|Firefox}} has been downloaded, the implication being that Firefox is related to Wicca. The page lists Internet Explorer, a rival web browser, and the cross, representing Christianity, on the bottom, implying that it is an attempt at discouraging Firefox by both Internet Explorer and a Christian source.
  
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Randall further illustrates one common, and perhaps destructive, use of illusory correlation in the bottom half of the image. The appearance of the symbol for {{w|Internet Explorer}}, a rival web browser, and the cross, representing Christianity, imply that this graph is an attack ad promoted by Microsoft and Christianity to gain an advantage over their competitors.
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The title text is reminiscent of political commercials, which tell you who paid for them. The last sentence is a play on the term of {{w|Closed source software}}, which Internet Explorer is, as opposed to Firefox, which was open source in development. Similar in that vein, the Bible can be considered "closed source" [http://kingjbible.com/revelation/22.htm due to God's prohibition on altering its contents.]
  
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The title text is reminiscent of political commercials, which often tell you who paid for them very quickly. This high speed is represented by all the words in the title text being strung together. The last sentence is a play on the term of {{w|Closed source software|closed source software}}, which Internet Explorer is, as opposed to Firefox, which is open source in development. In a similar vein, the Bible can be considered "closed source" due to [http://kingjbible.com/revelation/22.htm God's prohibition on altering its contents].
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This type of statistical ploy is used again in a few other comics, e.g [[925: Cell Phones]]
  
 
==Transcript==
 
==Transcript==
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:[A graph is shown with a positive slope.]
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:[Y axis]:membership in wicca
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:[Y axis]: Membership in Wicca
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:[X axis]:total firefox downloads
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:[X axis]: Total Firefox Downloads
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:[positive slope graph]
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:[Internet Explorer icon.]
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:[Internet Explorer icon]
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:<big>K</big>EEP TH<big>E</big>
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:Keep the Faith
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:FAITH
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:[Outline of a cross]
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:[Outline of a cross.]
 
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==Trivia==
 
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This type of [https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/false-cause statistical ploy] is used again in a few other comics, like [[523: Decline]], [[552: Correlation]], and [[925: Cell Phones]].
 
  
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
{{comic discussion}}
 
[[Category:Comics with color]]
 
[[Category:Comics with color]]
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[[Category:Line graphs]]
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[[Category:Charts]]
 
[[Category:Statistics]]
 
[[Category:Statistics]]
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[[Category:Religion]]
 

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