It is an inherited pattern of thought and or action, not an inherited document with specific admonition or direction. The Bible, then, is really not a part of tradition. Reading the Bible is. The Greenville College catalogs of the past are not a part of the college's tradition. What we write down, and therefore subscribe to is really not our tradition.
Tradition refuses to be categorized quite so neatly as our laws.
Tradition seems to be less scientific, not necessarily less rigid, but at least not quite so easily pinned down. We may even operate within its influence without being aware of it. I suppose this is the reason why the creative thinkers of the past have been so critical of tradition. Obviously, when we yield to tradition, we are yielding to a powerful force in our lives. How many great principles, beliefs, ways of acting, ways of thinking might be lost for years, before discovered again, if at all.