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Appeal to Tradition

 

Disciplines Argument > Fallacies > Appeal to Tradition

Description | Discussion | Example | See also

 

Description

X has always been done. Therefore X is right.

Claim something to be well-established and proven. Say that it is traditional, and that to change it would be sacrilegious in some way.

Example

My father and his father before him polished wood this way. Don't tell me how to polish wood.

We've been doing this for thirty years, and we've never had problems with it.

The tradition in this town is to buy from local traders.

Discussion

Tradition, once established, becomes a cultural thing, where people do it without thinking and defend it simply because it now is a part of the woodwork. Familiarity breeds both ignorance of the true value of something and a reluctance to give up the 'tried and true'.

Classification

Appeal

Also known as

Ad antiquitatem

See also

Appeal to Common Belief, Appeal to Common Practice

 

 

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