Appeal to Tradition Fallacy | Definition & Examples
The appeal to tradition fallacy involves arguing that something is right solely because it has been accepted or practiced for a long time.
Tradition is treated as sufficient proof of an idea or behavior’s merit without evidence or analytical reasoning.
Regardless of whether St. John’s Wort has therapeutic value in treating depression, this argument commits the appeal to tradition fallacy because it expresses certainty without any discussion of objective evidence. The error lies in treating tradition alone as adequate proof of the treatment’s efficacy.
The appeal to tradition fallacy often occurs in debates about cultural practices, religious beliefs, legal and political decisions, and medical treatments.
What is the appeal to tradition fallacy?
An appeal to tradition fallacy occurs when an argument rests entirely on the fact that an idea or practice has been accepted by a group of people for a long time.
While tradition may be relevant to some arguments, using it as the sole justification for a claim renders an argument fallacious.
The argument from antiquity fallacy, or argumentum ad antiquitum, is a subtype of the appeal to tradition fallacy. It involves appealing specifically to traditions from the distant past.
The appeal to tradition fallacy is considered an informal logical fallacy because it is a flaw in the content of an inductive argument. An argument that commits this type of fallacy is considered unsound.
Appeals to tradition also belong to the category of fallacies of relevance because they rely on information that’s irrelevant to the core issues of the argument. This subset of logical fallacies includes ad hominem fallacies and straw man fallacies, among others.
Appeal to tradition fallacy examples
Examples of appeal to tradition fallacies can be found in a variety of contexts, such as education, politics, religion, business, and discussions of health and wellness.
In each of these domains, arguments that commit the appeal to tradition fallacy may lead to suboptimal decisions because they fail to account for factors like technological, cultural, and economic changes.
This argument commits the appeal to tradition fallacy by taking it as a foregone conclusion that historic educational practices are ideal and failing to offer any supporting evidence.
In business, the appeal to tradition fallacy can similarly lead to missed opportunities by failing to account for major societal and technological changes.
This argument commits the appeal to tradition fallacy by assuming past success with in-person sales negates the need for online platforms, ignoring potential benefits and market reach. It also overlooks the possibility of combining online and physical sales.
The decline of Blockbuster, often attributed to its failure to adjust to digital streaming, is an example of a business whose traditional model became completely obsolete because of a failure to adapt to change
Why is the appeal to tradition fallacy a problem?
It’s important to be able to identify and guard against the appeal to tradition fallacy because relying on tradition alone creates several problems:
- Stifles innovation and critical thinking: Relying on tradition alone for decision-making can hinder innovation, stifle creativity, and devalue analytical reasoning.
- Overlooks changes: Failing to account for factors like technological, social, and economic shifts can lead to decisions that don’t make sense in the current context.
- Preserves harmful practices: While many traditions are valuable, some are harmful (e.g., those rooted in prejudice or discrimination). Substituting tradition for evidence-based reasoning can obstruct positive change.
How can you respond to the appeal to tradition fallacy?
There are several constructive ways to respond to the appeal to tradition fallacy:
- Encourage critical thinking: Prompt a critical examination of the tradition to see if it stands up to scrutiny.
- Request evidence: Ask for specific evidence that demonstrates the practice or belief’s current effectiveness or relevance, moving the focus from tradition to evidence-based reasoning.
- Highlight changes: Emphasize relevant changes in context, technology, societal needs, or science that might have made the traditional practice inappropriate for the present day.
- Present alternatives: Introduce evidence or examples of alternative methods that better address current challenges.
- Acknowledge value: If the tradition has merits, demonstrate intellectual honesty by affirming these positive aspects while also discussing the tradition’s drawbacks.
Frequently asked questions about appeal to tradition fallacy
- Can an appeal to tradition be valid?
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An argument can include an appeal to relevant traditions without committing the appeal to tradition fallacy. There is a key difference between arguments that consider traditions and arguments that commit the fallacy:
- Appeal to tradition fallacy: Assumes that tradition alone is adequate proof; disregards contemporary contexts and evidence
- Sound argument: Mentions relevant traditions as a factor to consider; takes into account modern contexts and evidence-based reasoning
- How is the appeal to tradition fallacy different from the appeal to emotion fallacy?
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Both the appeal to tradition fallacy and the appeal to emotion fallacy can leverage social pressures and sentiments, but they do so in different ways:
- Appeal to tradition fallacy: Exploits the human tendency to conform to social norms, often leveraging emotional and social factors
- Appeal to emotion fallacy: Manipulates by directly targeting feelings such as fear, loyalty, or sympathy
- What is the opposite of the appeal to tradition fallacy?
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The opposite of the appeal to tradition fallacy is the appeal to novelty fallacy, also known by its Latin name, argumentum ad novitatem.
The appeal to novelty fallacy occurs when an argument assumes that something is superior simply because it is new or modern.
Like the appeal to tradition fallacy, it relies on the timing of an idea or practice to prove its merits.
