Appeal to novelty: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 00:11, 30 October 2005

The appeal to novelty (also called argumentum ad novitatem) is a logical fallacy in which someone claims that his or her idea or proposal is correct or superior because it is new and modern. Some examples are:

"If you want to lose weight, your best bet is to follow the latest diet."
"The department will become more profitable because it has been reorganised."
"Our progressive policies will replace the government's outdated medieval dogma."
"Upgrading all your software to the most recent versions will make your system more reliable."

Appeals to novelty are often successful in a modern world where everyone is eager to be on the "cutting edge" of technology. The so-called "Dot-com bust" of the early 2000s could easily be interpreted as a sign of the dangers of naïvely embracing new ideas without first viewing them with a critical eye. Also, advertisers frequently extoll the newness of their products as a reason to buy.

The opposite of an appeal to novelty is an appeal to tradition, in which one argues that the "old ways" are always superior to new ideas.

See also: radicalism

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 The '''appeal to novelty''' (also called '''''argumentum ad novitatem''''') is a [[logical fallacy]] in which someone claims that his or her idea or proposal is correct or superior because it is new and modern. Some examples are:
-* "Hovercars are the wave of the future! You should invest all your money in Hovercar stocks." (Hovercars may be futuristic, but that does not necessarily make them a sound financial investment.)
+*"If you want to lose weight, your best bet is to follow the latest diet."
-* "This computer was made in 2003, therefore it is far superior to that computer made in 2001." (Although computer speed is increasing, one should consider actual specifications rather than mere date-of-construction.)
+*"The department will become more profitable because it has been reorganised."
-* "Our satellite television service offers digital quality picture and sound." (It uses digital as a synonym to good or excellent, despite the fact that digital is not a qualitative adjective.)
+*"Our progressive policies will replace the government's outdated medieval dogma."
+*"Upgrading all your software to the most recent versions will make your system more reliable."
 Appeals to novelty are often successful in a [[modern]] world where everyone is eager to be on the "cutting edge" of technology. The so-called "[[Dot-com]] bust" of the early 2000s could easily be interpreted as a sign of the dangers of naïvely embracing new ideas without first viewing them with a critical eye. Also, [[Advertising|advertisers]] frequently extoll the newness of their products as a reason to buy.