Folio"Solvitur ambulando"
Return to Editorial Guide & LexiconLexicon Dossier: /original-provenance-fallacy/
Philosophynoun phrase

Original Provenance Fallacy

uh-RIJ-ih-nul PRAHV-uh-nunss FAL-uh-see•/əˈrɪdʒɪnəl ˈprɒvənəns ˈfæləsi/

The mistaken assumption that an artistic work possesses value only if created in total isolation from pre-existing material.

Etymological Roots:

From Latin 'originem' (source) + 'provenire' (to come forth) + 'fallacia' (deceit, error).

Comprehensive Usage Guide

Dual Nuance Analysis
Everyday English UsageStandard English

Used in art history and copyright critique to deconstruct the myth of the solitary genius working without ancestral influences.

Conversational / Editorial Example:

“Purists commit the original provenance fallacy when they dismiss hip-hop sampling as unoriginal theft rather than harmonic synthesis.”

Plod & Ponder ContextFieldwork & Philosophy

Philosophical foundation for our field notes and reworked essays: all creative and analytical works build upon iterative human lineage.

Field Journal Citation:

“Rejecting the original provenance fallacy allows writers to embrace folk adaptation, re-arranged melodies, and collaborative hypotheses.”

Every Mention on the Site

Automated concordance indexing every citation, essay, and field note referencing Original Provenance Fallacy

1 Citation
Essayentertainment
2026-09-15

In Defense of Reworked Concepts: Karaoke, Folk Traditions, and Imperfect Replication

Citation Excerpt:

...of anonymous communal singing and playing; dismantling the original provenance fallacy refutes corporate copyright claims that penalize folk modification; while decentralized f...

Matched Term: "original provenance fallacy"Read Full Context
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