Hey, what’s up! We have been talking about Appeal Fallacies, and today we’ll continue this little mini-series by talking about the Appeal to Nature.
An Appeal to Nature is when someone says that b/c something is “natural”, it therefore must be good, better, healthier or somehow more desirable.
Have you ever heard an ad say, “Just like Mother Nature intended” That’s an appeal to nature.
Or how about seeing a TV commercial where there’s a beautiful waterfall in the background and lovely flowers and sparkling sunshine…all things pointing to the purity and goodness of nature…usually used to send a subtle or not-so-subtle message about the purity or goodness of their product.
Now, is it true that natural is sometimes better than unnatural? Absolutely! We know that eating more natural foods is healthier than eating a bunch of refined, packaged foods. That’s one example where listening to an Appeal to Nature would benefit us.
Or have you ever heard the argument that we shouldn’t interfere with nature, that nature knows best? Maybe. But what if nature is endangering human life in some way? Should we still not interfere?
The problem here is that it’s playing on an idea, the idea that nature is always better. But is that really true? For instance, mold is natural, and penicillin was man-made. Does that mean we should scrape the mold off the old pizza in the back of our fridge when we’re sick b/c it’s natural rather than taking penicillin b/c it’s man-made? No! Now, yes, I know that’s kind of a silly example, but I’m exaggerating a little bit to prove the point. Appealing to nature for nature’s sake doesn’t always mean something is more desirable. Sometimes, yes! But not always.
I could say, “Take this new supplement, Arsenic Advantage! It’s all-natural so it’s clearly good for you!” Would that be true? Well, Arsenic may be natural, but it’s certainly not good for you!
Another problem with the Appeal to Nature fallacy is that it can be really hard to define “natural”. Does it mean unrefined? Chemical-free? Toxin-free? Fresh from the garden? Should we stop using cars & other modes of transportation since they aren’t found in nature?
Something that’s natural MAY be good or better for you, but is there any proof to back it up? Something that’s man-made MAY not be good for you, but is there any proof to back it up?
So, here’s a question to ask yourself if you’re faced with an Appeal to Nature: “Is it really true that this thing is more natural? And if it is, does that really make it better for me?” *repeat*
A lot of these Appeal Fallacies are actually a form of Propaganda, which I’ll tell you about in the next episode as we continue this series on Appeals.
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?”
