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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/cadet-fallacy-appeal-to-tradition

'We've always done it this way, so we shouldn't change.' Which fallacy is that?

Appeal to tradition.

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  1. Appeal to tradition ✔
  2. Straw man
  3. Weak analogy

Why: Appeal to tradition assumes older ideas are better just because they are older, and that a leader's job is to stop change. Learn to Lead calls it one of the quickest ways for a leader to lose credibility.

Huh, didn't know that: Learn to Lead names ten common logical fallacies for leaders to spot and avoid.

The dad joke
How many traditionalists does it take to change a light bulb? Change?!
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References

Answer: Appeal to tradition. Appeal to tradition assumes older ideas are better just because they are older, and that a leader's job is to stop change. Learn to Lead calls it one of the quickest ways for a leader to lose credibility.

  1. Learn to Lead Volume 2, Chapter 5, Logical Fallacies (Civil Air Patrol) www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/Vol2LetterLowFinal_8BDFDB373E830.pdf
    One of the quickest ways to lose credibility as a leader is to commit the fallacy of the appeal to tradition.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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