A fallacious argument that states something to be good because it is natural. The appeal to nature considers something natural to be superior to something unnatural. Commonly mistaken for the naturalistic fallacy though not the same fallacy.
This is an informal fallacy, that is, its problem is not to be found in the logical structure of the argument. An argument with the same form but different content can be quite legit. Therefore, the fallacy occurs because of its content and not the structure. It can also be classified as a red herring fallacy because it diverts the argument with irrelevancies.
Example 1:
“I can’t imagine a scenario where technology did any good for us, only natural things are good for us.”
Example 2:
“I know it’s hard to find a place with an empty table right now but I will only eat at a restaurant that serves food with natural origins. Food should be served only if it’s all-natural without any additives.”
The main problem is with the definition of nature. We use “nature” quite often and we certainly know what we mean. However, when we look at the different definitions of nature things don’t look that clear. Is nature everything that lives? If yes, is water nature? Is nature everything that we can see as an appearance? From these difficulties, more arise. Is everything we, natural beings, create to be considered nature? Do we attribute nature to things or do certain attributes in the thing make it to be nature?
These issues with the definition of nature can be noticed in the examples above. In Example 1, the speaker considers technology to be unnatural, is he right in doing so? Isn’t our urge to create tools a natural ability? Even if technology is something unnatural, there is still no evidence that natural is superior to unnatural.
The same mistake is made in Example 2. The assumption that all-natural food is always better than modified food is ridiculous. Some foods contain toxins and materials that aren’t healthy. We can extract some toxic materials and add healthy ones, this has been a real benefit for us.