Fallacy files appeal to tradition

In this article, we will look at the logical fallacy that is at the core of this mindset, the appeal to tradition fallacy. Yes, people are resistant to change.

This issue is common in personal and professional situations alike. Unfortunately, the agency from which I got laid off falls into this category as well. All this to say: embracing change is imperative. This reasoning is fallacious because it relies on historical preferences rather than facts to prove its point.

In fact, admitting that the only reason behind something is historical preference highlights the fact that the speaker has no supportive evidence. But the truth is, a tradition could have initially been based on a false premise—and even if something was true at one time, circumstances can change that revoke this truth. Afterall, if appealing to past practices was logical, one could justify any incorrect but long-held belief.

However, this logic only proves that a belief is common, not that it's accurate. Did your family have any traditions when you were a child? Or have you started some family traditions in recent years? How many of your childhood traditions do you still practice? Or you may make Thanksgiving dinner exactly like your mother and grandmother used to make it.

But as families evolve, traditions also transform to fit present-day circumstances. Think of families who have consecutive generations of lawyers. Appeal to nature Blaming the victim Cherry picking Ecological fallacy Existential assumption My enemy's enemy v - t - e. Informal fallacies:.

Ad hoc:. Arguments from ignorance:. Causation fallacies:. Circular reasoning:. Emotional appeals:. Fallacies of ambiguity:. Formal fallacies:. This, of course, is not the case; old ideas can be bad ideas, and new ideas can be good ideas. Therefore: 2 Some form of religion is true.

My family has always gotten together for Christmas on Christmas night. I cannot ask them to move it now that we are married because that's the way they have always done it. The town has always had a parade on the 4 th of July and it has always proceeded through the town square. We cannot have construction this summer because we cannot change the route of the parade.