Just because something has been done for hundreds of years, is that a good reason to continue doing it?

Question

Feel free to give your own examples, it's an open question.

Answer 1

Of course, but then some people now think the world is round.

Answer 2

Female circumsition has been done for a long time in certain countrys but should be discontinued.It is horrendous.

Answer 3

Sometimes.  There are some traditions that are not inherently useful, but don't do any harm, and the fact that people have been doing them for hundreds of years is what makes them worth continuing.

Eg. Including a handshake in a greeting.  It's just what we do and there is no particular reason to shake it up now because it would only confuse people.

Besides, I think having a few traditions helps give a culture a sense of continuity.

Answer 4

Nope, but many people follow blindly. For examples traditions, hardly anyone knows what they are, the background behind them yet they still follow like sheep because it's 'the thing to do'.

I know people who hate the number 13 and dress their boys in blue and they don't even know the origins for these haha!

Answer 5

Humans need tradition.

Answer 6

Your Question is not specific enough. It lacks information. If you are referring to Gender Roles? How Men and Women behave. Neuroscience is proving Feminists wrong. Much of human behavior is hard wired. There may be some correlation to g*y and L*****n behaviors as well. As the Brain of a L*****n resembles a Man's Brain. And a g*y Male's Brain resembles the Female Brain.

I am not sure what you are asking?

Answer 7

Of course not.  All traditions need to be assessed.  Personally I am all for tradition, but I am not for traditions that harm people.

Answer 8

I think that tradition is rather important, and that things should be kept the same unless a new or better way of doing that thing is found.

The foxhunting ban is ridiculous, some labour backbenchers didn't like it so pushed legislation through! This sport has been part of British history for years and brings together the local community, if not for participating in the hunt but to try and sabotage it!!

But there are things like slavery which were done for years but are no longer because that was morally wrong to treat other humans like that.

So tradition has good points and bad points but if its not broken leave it alone!!

Answer 9

It is neither a good reason to continue doing something, nor a good reason to stop doing something.  I would suggest that most things that have been done for hundreds of years that are not biological imperatives have some utility.  Bathing regularly, for example.  There is that old saying - probably a hundred years old - "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater."  There is not point in getting rid of a tradition, simply because its been around for a long time.  New is not always better.

Answer 10

polution-no its um deadly

brushing your teeth or hair- YES derrrr

Answer 11

only if there are no better alternatives.

Answer 12

Oh definitely not, otherwise we'd still be rubbing burns with goose tallow and wondering why people's arms turned green and dropped off as a result.

Of course, some things are good to keep going ~ learning, the arts and music, they can stay :-)

Cheers :-)

Answer 13

bigred is right. sometimes the thing that has been done for years is a bad thing say, polluting. And you obviously get it from there

Answer 14

If it is acceptable in modern society, why not continue doing it?

Some things don't change with the times. If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Answer 15

No, I don't think that's the right reason.

If it is effective, yes, continue...but if it is ineffective, why would you keep doing it just because that's how it has always been done?

Answer 16

No it is not a good reason (foxhunting for instance), but breathing in and out in a regular fashion (although a bit of a habit once you start) has been done for hundreds of years and I think if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it.  

Wouldn't it be great to breath in and out for hundreds of years.

Answer 17

That would be a non sequitur. However, there are some features of our cultures that will always remain because a society could not be constructed in any other way. As long as we are human it will always be women who do a majority of the childcare, and it will always be men who are the leaders, to give a couple of examples.

But no, we should never "appeal to tradition" as if that is a logical argument.

Answer 18

No, but there are lot of people who are truly terrified of change.

Answer 19

that is something you will have to assess subject by subject.

For instance: breathing, good idea to continue

Marrying your cousins: probably best to stop it.

Answer 20

If things are continued for a long time , then bad aspects of it are tested with time and people innovate it and fix it with less errors.

Such as going to temple,church or pagoda (which continues for a long time) will make a human rethink about his deeds and will change his life.

Sometimes these are called traditions.

But there are things that should be changed. And there are some examples of stopping these traditions too.

E.g.:

"Droit de seigneur" in Europe

Sati Practise