Appeal to tradition

Appeal to tradition is when you say something is right or true because we've always done it or always believed it. Old doesn't always mean right—practices and beliefs can be mistaken or outdated. Long standing can be a reason to look carefully before changing, but it's not by itself a reason to keep something. The fallacy is to treat tradition as proof. The real question is whether the practice or belief is good or true now, not how long it's been around.

Examples

• We've always had a Christmas party, so we shouldn't change it.

• It's the way we've always done it here.

• People have believed this for centuries, so it must be true.

• We've never allowed that, so we shouldn't start now.