Why "We've Always Done It This Way" Is a Dangerous Phrase
From "that's not how we do things here" to "Make America Great Again," learn to identify and navigate one of the most powerful arguments you'll ever face.
The Weight of Yesterday: Deconstructing the Appeal to Tradition
“This is how our family has always done it.” The phrase lands with a gentle, yet immovable, finality. It can be a source of comfort during a holiday gathering, a justification for a quirky family recipe, or the last word in a debate about the future. This powerful linguistic move is known as the appeal to tradition, or in classical rhetoric, argumentum ad antiquitatem. In its simplest form, it is the assertion that an idea, policy, or action is correct, good, or superior simply because it is old, established, or has “always been done that way.” This technique appears everywhere, from corporate boardrooms and political rallies to religious sermons and intimate conversations. Its primary function is to leverage the psychological weight of history and custom, creating a sense of stability, identity, and continuity that can short-circuit critical evaluation of the present.
While the appeal to tradition is likely as old as human society itself—a fundamental tool for transmitting cultural norms and ensuring group cohesion—its formal articulation as a philosophical and political principle gained prominence during the Enlightenment. As thinkers like Voltaire and Descartes championed pure reason and radical skepticism toward inherited beliefs, a counter-movement arose. The most eloquent and enduring voice of this counter-current was the Irish statesman Edmund Burke. In his 1790 masterwork, Reflections on the Revolution in France, Burke crafted a sophisticated defense of tradition not as a mere fallacy, but as a repository of accumulated, time-tested wisdom. He argued that society was a partnership “between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.” For Burke, traditions and institutions were not arbitrary; they were the product of generations of trial and error, containing a latent wisdom that no single generation’s abstract reasoning could hope to replicate. To discard them wholesale, as the French revolutionaries sought to do, was an act of profound arrogance that would lead to chaos. Burke’s argument gave the appeal to tradition its intellectual gravitas, situating it as a cornerstone of conservative thought that valued prudence and gradual reform over radical upheaval.
As the 19th century unfolded, the appeal to tradition fueled the rise of nationalism across Europe. Political movements constructed narratives of a shared, often mythologized, past to forge a unified national identity. “The spirit of the nation” or “the ancient character of our people” became powerful rallying cries. This process was accelerated by the advent of mass literacy and the printing press, which allowed for the standardization and dissemination of these traditional narratives. In the 20th and 21st centuries, this technique has continued to evolve. While it remains a central tenet of political conservatism, its tone has often shifted from Burke’s nuanced defense of inherited wisdom to a more simplistic and sometimes reactionary rejection of the new. Technology, ironically, has become a powerful vector for its spread; the internet allows niche communities organized around traditionalist ideologies—from religious fundamentalism to lifestyle movements—to form, reinforce their beliefs, and recruit new adherents.
Today, the appeal to tradition is a pervasive force in our public and private lives. Its impact is multifaceted, capable of both anchoring and chaining us.
In the political arena, slogans like “Make America Great Again” are a potent appeal to a perceived golden age, promising a return to traditional values and a rejection of modern complexities. In legal systems, the principle of stare decisis (“to stand by things decided”) is a formalized appeal to tradition, where judicial precedent provides stability and predictability. However, as history shows with cases like Plessy v. Ferguson, this reliance on precedent can also perpetuate grave injustices until a new generation finds the moral and legal courage to break from it.
In corporate and institutional settings, the appeal to tradition often manifests as resistance to change: “We’ve never done it that way before.” This mindset can provide operational consistency but also stifle innovation, preserve inefficient systems, and maintain exclusionary power structures. Advertisers deftly harness this technique by marketing products with “classic” formulas or “original” recipes, tapping into our nostalgia and sense of authenticity.
The controversy surrounding the appeal to tradition lies in this inherent tension between stability and progress. At its best, tradition connects us to a larger story, offering a sense of belonging and providing a foundation of shared values. At its worst, it becomes a weapon to silence dissent, justify prejudice (“marriage has traditionally been between a man and a woman”), and avoid the difficult work of adapting to a changing world. It demands we ask a critical question: Does a practice have value because it is a tradition, or does the tradition persist because it has inherent, demonstrable value?
So, how do we navigate this powerful force with intelligence and integrity?
When considering using an appeal to tradition yourself, aim for the Burkean model. Don’t let “because it’s tradition” be the end of the conversation; let it be the beginning. Use it to introduce a time-tested value or principle. You might say, “Our family has a tradition of helping our neighbors, and that spirit of community is what we should bring to this new challenge.” Here, the tradition isn’t the justification itself, but rather the illustration of a deeper, relevant value.
Conversely, when you encounter an appeal to tradition being used to shut down a new idea, your goal is not to disrespect the tradition but to gently probe its relevance. You can respond with thoughtful questions:
“I appreciate the importance of that tradition. Can you help me understand the original purpose behind it?”
“Given how things have changed, does that original reasoning still hold up today?”
“What are the potential costs of maintaining this tradition versus the benefits of exploring a new way?”
By engaging with tradition critically, we transform ourselves from its passive subjects into its active curators. We honor the past not by replicating it blindly, but by understanding its wisdom, discarding its injustices, and building upon its enduring strengths. The goal is to distinguish between the living traditions that nourish the present and the dead ones that merely weigh it down, ensuring that the legacy we inherit is one that continues to serve the living.
Keep Going!
Check out these related posts
