Whoever attacks a custom or a creed, will be confronted with a list of the names of the dead who upheld the custom, or believed the creed. He is asked in a very triumphant and sneering way, if he knows more than all the great and honored of the past. Every defender of a creed has graven upon his memory the names of all 'great' men whose actions or words can be tortured into evidence for his doctrine
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Critics of tradition face appeals to authority from past figures.
- In plain terms
- People who challenge old rules are told to respect the dead who followed them.
- What can you take from it?
- Appeals to tradition often ignore current reasoning.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does past authority justify current rules?
- How do you weigh history against reason?
Another view
It overlooks cases where tradition holds value.
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