> So while I fully agree with you, I still think the sentence quoted is an example of terribly unhelpful and confusing writing.

Would you have us believe that there is zero utility in this conversation (which was catalyzed by the flawed writing)?

Possibly relevant, and don't miss the "see also" section:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality

Also note that this topic is different than this one (they often appear to be the same, because of causality):

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality_(physics)