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Remember those commercials that talk about “only natural flavors” in a certain product? Caramels with natural flavors must be better than those with artificial ones, right? Well, not exactly. In actual fact, this designation only refers to the way a certain chemical is extracted. But it sure sounds better if you write “natural” on the package! Welcome to the Appeal to Nature Fallacy.

The Appeal to Nature Fallacy is… not really a fallacy, strictly speaking. It’s more of rhetorical trickery, rather, as the speaker tries to validate his or her argument by appealing to nature. One of the most notorious Appeal to Nature examples you might have seen is when someone homophobic attacks gay people claiming it’s “against nature”.

There are several different problems with this, so let’s see them one by one.

Appeal to Nature: Three Errors for the Price of One

So, what kind of issues are there with such an Appeal to Nature trick?

1. The assumption that homosexuality is absent from other animal species.
2. The claim that human behavior is somehow outside Nature.
3. Finally, the Appeal to Nature Fallacy itself: the idea that if something is not occurring naturally it is automatically bad (and if it is, it is automatically good).

The first point above can be comfortably rejected. There is a multitude of research proving that homosexuality is very prevalent in Nature. That is, there are many species of animals, other than humans who engage in sexual activity with members of their own sex.

The second point is also very difficult to defend. Although in certain contexts one can artificially make the separation, this certainly could not apply in aspects related to species’ biological (and even behavioral) patterns.

However for our purposes, the third point is the most interesting one.

The Appeal to Nature Fails very early

If we assumed that there were any truth to the Appeal to Nature Fallacy, we’d be in trouble. Just think of how many “unnatural” things we rely on. I’m using a mini laptop to write this text, which you are probably reading using your cell phone or computer.

I assume we are both wearing clothes right now, unless perhaps if you are in your house, made of concrete, bricks, glass, and a whole bunch of other materials that don’t grow on trees.

I also assume you are grateful for, say, the painkillers that help you with your headache, modern dentistry, and your car. And hey, if you enjoyed your last plane trip, compare it to the 100%-natural alternative, walking.

Natural and Human Origin

The truth is, human existence is literally replete by things that don’t grow on trees or swim in rivers. They are all things that humans made, though. Shouldn’t that make them natural, in the way a chimpanzee crafts a tool with the help of rocks and sticks? A story for another day…

Ultimately, the Appeal to Nature Fallacy – like other fallacies – is a silly attempt at ameliorating the weak state of one’s argument. Obviously, as the introductory example showed, it’s also a favorite tactic used by marketing companies – as with so many other fallacies out there!