ad antiquitatum or argumentum ad traditio ("Appeal to Tradition")

Ad antiquitatum or argumentum ad traditio is the faulty but familiar argument that some policy, behavior, or practice is right or acceptable because "it has always been done that way."  This argument ignores the prospect that, even if something has been done effectively for a long time, it could still be done better or more efficiently.  This fallacy is also known as the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" fallacy.  Though it may not be broken, it could be improved.

Example: Why bother with wind and/or solar power when coal has worked just fine for many years?

Example: In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," Old Man Warner's argument that the lottery should be continued is rooted in this fallacy." 8:09

Example: The 10-Year-Old Dell computers in the computer lab still turn on, so why replace them?  Those computers worked great for the previous generation of QSI Hai Phong grads, so they'll work well for you, too!