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Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

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    Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

    OK, the idea that "it is 'natural,' therefore it is good" is so easy to dispell with common examples in pretty much everybody's experience (poison ivy? Natural, but not good. Arsenic? Natural, but not good.) that it is surprising to see the "appeal to nature" fallacy trotted out every time somebody thinks they can get some milage out of it.

    Here's an entertaining explanation of the fallacy, in the interests of public education in the interests of the public good:



    From the article:

    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.


    #2
    Re: Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

    "Natural" and "chemical" are misused all the time. It is amusing, but also infuriating because people get so wound up over things that they don't understand clearly. And there are some very good points to be made about food additives, large corporations monopolizing the food supply, and so forth. So I'm all in favor of promoting local foods, sustainable farming practices that support healthy soil, etc. It is just that they are often overwhelmed by misinformation.

    Also, you could get me ranting about "Algebra doesn't apply to real life", But you probably don't want to.

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      #3
      Re: Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

      Yep, and it works the other way round, too.

      "I don't use medications because it's not natural so it's bad for you"

      Putting aside the debate about what is natural and what's not, I hear the above argument way too often!
      [4:82]

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        #4
        Re: Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

        Oh this one can get me quite worked up because it's often a case of lazy or wilful ignorance... the whole 'natural is best argument dies the second you think about it. Nuts will kill me, but they are perfectly natural ^^ as are rattlesnakes and tornados....
        You remind me of the babe
        What babe?
        The babe with the power
        What power?
        The Power of voodoo
        Who do?
        You do!
        Do what?
        Remind me of the babe!

        Army of Darkness: Guardians of the Chat

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          #5
          Re: Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

          Originally posted by Dumuzi View Post
          Yep, and it works the other way round, too.

          "I don't use medications because it's not natural so it's bad for you"

          Putting aside the debate about what is natural and what's not, I hear the above argument way too often!
          LOL - being dead is natural, and, for many of us, we'd be long dead if it weren't for that unnatural medicine.
          Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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            #6
            Re: Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

            Many modern Medicines are "Refined" natural things. Aspirin is from a natural source,but refined down to JUST the actual part with the helpful chemical aspects.
            Natural is good,but the derived medical use will not have side effects from all the other parts of the natural source.
            MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

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              #7
              Re: Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

              I just say SMALLPOX!

              and leave it at that.
              Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
              sigpic

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                #8
                Re: Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

                The Scythians were great archers and masters of poison, using only 'natural' ingredients. Your chances of surviving a wound from one of their arrows was pretty slim...
                www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


                Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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                  #9
                  Re: Fallacy: Appeal to nature, nicely explained

                  I love that you brought up arsenic; I trot that one out when people say something has fewer chemicals and is therefore better. Your organic, non-gmo kale has several chemical compounds, while arsenic only has one

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