Correlation doesn't always imply causation, right? For example, there's a correlation between IQ and income. There are several causative possibilities:
* IQ causes income
* Income causes IQ
* Some unknown thing causes both income and IQ
* The correlation is spurious; IQ and income are unrelated
Evidence strongly suggests that the third bullet point is true; socioeconomic class causes both income and IQ. Richer people living in nicer neighborhoods both have better opportunities for income, and also better opportunities for education; education causes IQ. This is why redlining is brought up so often as a root cause of so many of the disparities in quality of life; redlining deepened socioeconomic divides.
* IQ causes income
* Income causes IQ
* Some unknown thing causes both income and IQ
* The correlation is spurious; IQ and income are unrelated
Evidence strongly suggests that the third bullet point is true; socioeconomic class causes both income and IQ. Richer people living in nicer neighborhoods both have better opportunities for income, and also better opportunities for education; education causes IQ. This is why redlining is brought up so often as a root cause of so many of the disparities in quality of life; redlining deepened socioeconomic divides.