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Definition:
An appeal to tradition is an informal fallacy which occurs when someone tries to argue
that because something is or has been traditional, then that is therefore a good
reason to keep doing it. The fact that something has been done a long time is not a
rational basis upon which to argue the value or morality of any particular action.
Here are two examples (the first is from our forum):
More to the point - it is not necessary for me to prove or to establish or to validate the merits of spanking one's kid. The practice has stood the test of time. It is also the law, and it also finds a majority of support amongst those polled.
Hundreds of millions of people have been Christians, devoutly following it and even dying for it. How could that be possible if Christianity weren't true?
An appeal to tradition is also a form of an appeal to authority, because tradition is treated as being "authoritative" in some matter. As in the above example, it is not uncommon for an appeal to tradition to also be explicitly linked to an appeal to numbers, although every appeal to tradition does this at least implicitly.
Also Known As: filiopietism
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is the Logic and the Philosophy of Language?
The two fields Logic and the Philosophy of Language are often treated separately, but they are nevertheless close enough that they are presented together here. Logic is the study of methods of reasoning and argumentation, both proper and improper. The Philosophy of Language, on the other hand, involves the study of how our language interacts with our thinking.What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
