The appeal to authority is problematic from the perspective of reasoning, in so far as there is a problem regarding what legitimizes the authority in question. For example, one could refer to a scientific study that makes a certain conclusion. However, this, firstly, presupposes the validity of the methodology used to reach the conclusion, secondly, presupposes that those who applied the methodology used it correctly, and thirdly, excludes alternative conclusions derived from the same methodology. In the case of academia, this logical fallacy is clear in cases where a certain expert is cited to make an argument. The fact that a given expert makes a claim does not discount the possibility that another expert, with similar scientific credentials, for example, may advance the exact opposite claim.
The appeal to novelty evokes a claim about the inevitability of progress. In other words, something is given value only because it is new. This presupposes that just because something is new it is superior to that which is old. Hence, new technologies which make a given task easier to perform may be praised for their novel solutions to new problems. But these novel solutions may in turn create even worse problems, for example, in the case of mass technology, climate change and environmental catastrophe. In the context of novelty, the appeal to novelty also appears as a fallacy. For example, many will argue for new technologies to be used in the classroom to encourage students to learn. However, these new technologies did not exist in the past and there were still students who were dedicated to their studies.
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"Logical and Rhetorical Fallacies".
The appeal to tradition is the inverse of the appeal to novelty, but has a similar form of argument. The most common form of this argument is its appeal to a notion of “this is the way this has always been done, therefore, we should do this in the same way.” This overlooks the possibility of development and of improvement. In the context of academia, this would be the rejection of new approaches to education, for example, because it conflicts with the standard way things have been done.
