A friend heard somebody say,"If you are overweight,you are likely to smoke." This friend interprets this statement as,"If you smoke,then you are likely to be overweight." What kind of error is apparent in this example?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of an inappropriate interpretation of an if-then statement as a biconditional. The original statement only implies that being overweight increases the likelihood of smoking, but it does not necessarily mean that smoking will cause one to be overweight.

A Friend Heard Somebody Say,"If You Are Overweight,you Are Likely