Question

Is the statement " y is a function of x" equivalent to saying that "y is caused by x"? In this context, critically evaluate the following statement: "The incidence of lung cancer is significantly higher for heavy smokers than for nonsmokers. Therefore, smoking causes cancer".

Answer 1

The statement " y is a function of x" equivalent to saying that "y is caused by x". But the fact that the incidence of lung cancer is significantly higher for heavy smokers than for nonsmokers is not equivalent to saying that smoking causes cancer, because smoking is not the only reason for cancer, it is only one of parameters of function.