Appeal to Novelty Fallacy: The Latest Isn’t Always the Greatest [#FallacyFridays]
Welcome to #FallacyFridays! Fridays are for learning the flaws we make in our arguments. Though these posts are written every Friday, any day is a great day to learn about the flaws in our logic that we should try to avoid. Today’s logical fallacy is fairly common. It’s called the appeal to novelty fallacy. Make sure to read all the way to the end so you can take the quiz to test your understanding of the fallacy. 🤓
But before we get into it, I want you to know about a tool that may help you understand this and other fallacies. I know that some people learn better by writing or typing. If that is you, download this FREE digital copy of “#FallacyFridays: The Workbook.” It was designed to follow alongside #FallacyFridays lessons in order for you to better understand logical fallacies.
What is the Appeal to Novelty Fallacy?
Whenever something new comes out, like, for example, a snazzy new iPhone, it is automatically lauded by diehard fans as the “latest and greatest.” We hear that term so often, almost as if to imply that something being new will always be the best or the correct choice. But that isn’t always the case.
One example that comes to mind is when Windows 10 was brand new. It was (and currently is) the latest operating system from Microsoft. When it was relatively new, I recall my brother complaining so much about it. It brought about tons of freezing and crashing when used on his laptop. And looking at the conversations I heard about the new product, others had similar experiences. So just because Windows 10 was the newest Microsoft Operating System did not mean it was the best one of the Windows OS series. By arguing it was the best simply because it was the newest one, I would be committing the appeal to novelty fallacy.
The appeal to novelty fallacy (also known as argumentum ad novitatem) occurs when one decides that something is the best or the correct decision solely because it’s new.
Our bias towards newness can make us prone to committing the logical fallacy called appeal to novelty. Click To TweetExamples of the Appeal to Novelty Fallacy
I think this bridal gown in Vera Wang’s 2020 collection is the winner. It’s the most recent one she’s ever designed so it’s obviously the best.
Justin is my current boyfriend. Enough reason that he’s better than my exes.
We live in better times now than our ancestors did since our era is modern.
In all of these examples, someone is claiming that something or someone is the best because they are new or recent. Notice how there are no explanations of why they are the “better option” besides their newness.
💡Key Points!
- There is a difference between the appeal to novelty fallacy and acknowledging/showing how something or someone has gotten better with time. The latter is not the appeal to novelty fallacy since you are appealing to progress, not just newness.
- There is a difference between “I like this new thing” and the appeal to novelty fallacy. In the former, “new” is simply an adjective or descriptor. The latter, the fallacy, is a justification; it happens when you say something is the best solely because it is new.
Quiz Time
Now that you’ve learned what the appeal to novelty fallacy is, here’s a quiz to test your understanding. Which one of the following answer choices contains the appeal to novelty fallacy?
A. I’m looking forward to the latest book in King’s bestselling series. I already know it’ll be his best work. His past books are old and will not compare since they were written so long ago.
B. “Have you tried the new flavor of Lay’s potato chips? They’re delicious!
C. I upgraded to the new Macbook Air. It was the best investment I’ve made in my professional life because of its speed, ease of use, and portability.
D. I love my new Range Rover. It’s my favorite car I’ve had so far!
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