Tuesday, May 21, 2019

It's natural so it must be good!

The Appeal to Nature is a fallacy in which someone argues that because something is "natural" it must be good. In addition to the obvious point that there are many natural things that are bad (uranium is natural, but don't eat it!), this fallacy often involves a very confused account of what is "natural." The following ad from Nature Valley granola bars gives a very good illustration of how marketers employ this fallacy to sell products to the public:



In this video we see a clear criticism of technology as unnatural, in contrast with all the "natural" activities the young girl engages in. This is an excellent illustration of the appeal to nature in action.

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