Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Examples in Media, Real Life, Politics, News & Ads

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy

What is Appeal to Tradition Fallacy?

The Fallacy of Appeal to Tradition is a logical fallacy that occurs when someone assumes that something must be good because it has been done in the past or is traditional.  This fallacy can also occur if someone believes that an old idea is better than a new one just because it’s older.

The Appeal to Tradition Fallacy is a logical fallacy that occurs when someone tries to prove something by saying it has always been done or accepted, regardless of whether or not there is evidence that the thing works.

The historical roots of the Appeal to Tradition Fallacy ever since the birth of human civilization, there have been a handful of things that have persisted throughout time, namely, traditions.

In every society and culture, certain rituals and practices are passed down from generation to generation.

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Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Examples

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Examples in Philosophy

Examples of Appeal to  Tradition Fallacy in Philosophy:

The appeal to tradition fallacy is a type of argument that asserts that something is good because it has been done in the past.  It can be committed when one argues for action by claiming that there must be some merit to it because it was performed in the past. For example, ” This is our culture, we must follow.”

This fallacy can also manifest as an appeal to antiquity or historical precedent, similar to identical arguments.

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Real Life Examples

Examples of Appeal to Tradition Fallacy in Real Life:

The Fallacy of Appeal to Tradition is a fallacy that occurs when someone appeals to the idea that something must be right because it has been done in the past or because “it’s always been done this way.”

For example, if you are trying to decide which house to buy and one of them was built 50 years ago, while another was built 5 years ago. Still, both houses have similar features and prices, then buying the older house would be an example of Appeal to Tradition Fallacy.

The fallacy can also occur when people argue for their preferred candidate by saying things like “we need change” or “he’ll bring fresh ideas” instead of presenting facts about why they should be elected.

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Examples in Media

Examples of Tradition  Fallacy in Media: 

The media often appeals to the tradition fallacy by presenting a biased account of history that glorifies past events and overlooks any negative aspects.

This is done in order to create an emotional connection with the audience, which can lead them to believe what they are being told without question.

By using this technique, people may be persuaded into believing that something is true even if it isn’t

Related: Appeal to Emotions Fallacy Examples 

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Examples in Advertising

Examples of Tradition Fallacy in advertising: 

The advertising campaign for the new iPhone X claims that it is “the most powerful and smartest phone ever.”

This argument appeals to tradition because the company wants people to believe that this product will be as good as all of their other products, which have also been successful in the past.

This fallacy can be seen when a company tries to convince consumers by using an old slogan or saying, such as “since 1876” or “from our family to yours,” even if they no longer produce goods from those times periods.

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Examples in Politics

Examples of Appeal to Tradition Fallacy in politics:

The appeal to tradition fallacy is a type of logical fallacy that occurs when someone tries to justify an argument based on the fact that it has been done in the past.  This can be seen in politics, where people will sometimes try and argue for something because “it’s always been done this way.”

However, this is not a good justification for doing things because there are many reasons why traditions change over time.

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy in Movies

Examples of Appeal to Tradition  Fallacy in Movies:

The movie protagonist is a woman who has been wrongfully convicted of murdering her sister and sentenced to death.

Her lawyer argues that she should be released because “women are not executed in this country.”

This fallacy is committed because there have been cases where women were executed, so it cannot be argued that they never happen.

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Examples in Literature

Examples of Appeal to Tradition Fallacy in Literature:

An example of this fallacy in literature would be when a character says,

“I’m not going to go out with you because I don’t want to date anyone who isn’t my type.”

Appeal to Tradition Fallacy Examples in News

Examples of Appeal to Tradition Fallacy in News:

The appeal to tradition fallacy is when someone argues that a certain thing should be done because it has always been done in the past.

For example, if you are watching a news report about how people are protesting against new legislation and one of the protesters says, “We’ve always had this law in place,” they would be committing an Appeal to the traditional fallacy.

This type of fallacy can also occur when someone argues that something is true simply because everyone believes it’s true or because it was believed for a long time.

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