Hey, what’s up guys! I wanted to start today with one of the podcast reviews you’ve left me! I am so grateful when you review & share the podcast - thank you! Let’s spread the word that it’s actually cool to be able to think well, lol. So today’s review comes from JP Healthy Mama, and she said:
Thank you again, and I LOVE it that you’re listening with your kids! Seriously, that’s what makes me the happiest b/c that’s how we redeem the education of 2 generations at once.
I know that’s certainly what it’s done for me to homeschool my daughter. Since I’ve been her primary teacher, I’ve been learning right alongside her and it feels like I’ve gotten such a richer education this second time around, b/c this time around, I’m not just studying to get answers right on a test, I’m actually learning to THINK about what I’m studying. Big difference! I pray this podcast is helping your family to do just that.
Ok, let’s get on with today’s new fallacy. Today, I’ll be talking about the Appeal to Novelty or the Appeal to High Tech. And it’s exactly what you’re probably thinking it is. The Appeal to Novelty or High Tech says that something must be better just b/c it’s new.
Pretty much anything tech is advertised using an appeal to High Tech b/c it’s always about how much better the latest & greatest version of something is. But how often do we ever stop and ask if there’s actually any proof that it’s better than what we already have or if it’s better than what we’re already doing?
How about the appeals to get the latest version of the iPhone when yours is working perfectly fine?
How about this example: probably about two decades ago when the schools were introducing a new way of doing math, they literally called it: “New Math”. That’s an appeal to Novelty b/c it was trying to get people to focus on the “new” part and take it to also mean “better”.
This appeal applies to anything that’s being advertised as being better just b/c it’s newer. It could be a new theology where someone claims to have new understanding about something the Bible says & you need to be really careful listening to this person. It could also be a new way of doing things that they’re saying is more efficient.
The problem behind the Appeal to High Tech fallacy is that something isn’t necessarily better because it’s new! You still have to ask the question: Is this really better? How do you know if it’s better or not?
Guess what? There are a lot of things that come along and are advertised as the “latest and greatest” and while they may be the latest, they’re definitely not the greatest. Sometimes, the 40-year old refrigerator that’s avocado green runs way better than the shiny new stainless steel one that will poop out after just 4 years.
If I decide that we should start driving on the left side of the road in America, is it a good idea just b/c it would be something new? No. It would create mass chaos. We have to be careful about substituting ‘new’ with ‘better’.
The question to ask yourself when you're faced with an Appeal to Novelty or High Tech is this: “Is it really true that it’s better just b/c it’s new?”… *repeat*
Ok, next up we’ll be talking about another Appeal - the Appeal to Ignorance. See you then!
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
