Appeal to tradition:
Emotional/Evidential Fallacy
| Definition | Example |
| When a claim is deemed true on the basis that it has a long-standing tradition behind it. | Polygamy is wrong because marriage here in our country has long been only between one man and one women. |
| Notes | |
| All traditional practices were at one time new. The duration of a practice neither validates or invalidates the practice. Patricide, child sacrifice and self-immolation were all well-established traditions at one time, yet are now generally abhorred. | |
Case Study One
Both extremes on the issue of public nudity have invoked this fallacy to justify their positions.
Keep in mind that a fallacious argument does not entail an erroneous position.
