Appeal to Novelty
Category: Rhetorical Device
What is it?
An appeal to novelty assumes that something is superior simply because it's new, modern, or recently developed. It equates newness with improvement without evaluating actual quality or effectiveness.
Examples
'Our completely redesigned app is better than ever!'
'This is the latest approach to management, so it must be more effective than traditional methods.'
How to Avoid This
Evaluate new things based on their actual merits rather than their novelty. Consider whether there's evidence that the new approach actually improves upon previous versions.
How to Counter This
Ask for evidence of improvement: 'Just because it's new doesn't mean it's better. What specific improvements does this new version offer?'