The article critiques the appeal to tradition as a rationale for validating beliefs and practices based on their age. It argues that if defenders genuinely adhered to this principle, they would endorse the oldest practices available, leading to absurd conclusions. Instead, defenders selectively choose which traditions to uphold, dependent on other criteria rather than time alone, thus undermining the argument's validity. The complexity increases with geography, as traditions are often restricted to specific cultural contexts, complicating appeals to tradition beyond mere age.
The appeal to tradition assumes that what makes a belief or practice true is its age; however, defenders rarely select the oldest practices.
Defenders of 'traditional' practices do not adhere to the 'oldest is best' principle, which leads to a dilemma regarding their selection of traditions.
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