Animistic fallacy

The animistic fallacy is the logical fallacy of arguing that an event or situation is evidence that someone consciously acted to cause it. The name of the fallacy comes from the animistic belief that changes in the natural world are the work of conscious spirits.

Examples

• "Prices fell today. Short-sellers must have driven them down."
• "There have been several riots this year. Our enemies must be stirring up discontent among the population."