Appeal to Nature Fallacy Examples in Media, Real Life, Politics, News & Ads

Appeal to Nature Fallacy

Appeal to Nature Fallacy Definition

The appeal to nature fallacy is when someone argues that something is good because it’s natural.

For example, a person might argue that meat-eating is better than vegetarianism because humans are naturally carnivores.

This argument ignores the fact that many other factors at play determine what people should eat.

Other examples:

•  “The natural way is the best way.”
•  “Animals are better than people because they don’t wear clothes or use technology.”
• “We should live like cavemen and eat only raw food.”
• The sky is blue because it reflects the color of the ocean
•  Birds fly south for winter because they know that’s where their food will be
•  We need to drink milk to get calcium and protein
•  Eating meat is necessary for a healthy diet

Appeal to Nature Fallacy Examples

Appeal to Nature example in Philosophy

Examples of Appeal to Nature Fallacy in Philosophy:

The appeal to nature fallacy is when someone argues that something must be true because it’s natural.

For example, some people argue that homosexuality is wrong because it isn’t “natural.”

This argument ignores the fact that many things in nature aren’t good for us and don’t help our survival, like poisonous plants or venomous animals.

Appeal to Nature Fallacy Real-Life Examples

Appeal to Nature Fallacy in Real Life:

The appeal to nature fallacy is when someone argues that what is natural or normal is better than something artificial.

For example, people might say that because a plant grows without pesticides, it must be healthier and more nutritious than plants grown with pesticides.

This argument ignores the fact that plants need both nutrients and protection from pests in order to grow well.

Appeal to Nature Fallacy Examples in Media

Examples of Appeal to Nature Fallacy in Media: 

•  When people in the media say that “nature knows best.”
•  When someone says that a chemical is natural because it comes from nature
• Saying that eating meat is better than being vegan because humans are omnivores

Appeal to Nature Fallacy Examples in Advertising

Appeal to Nature Fallacy in Advertising: 

The ad for a new line of organic dog food shows an image of a happy, healthy-looking dog with the slogan “Nature Knows Best.”

This naturalistic fallacy in advertising makes people believe that their products are better than competitors because they are more natural and less processed.

This is not always true as many companies will advertise their product as being made from all-natural ingredients without mentioning what those ingredients actually are.

Other examples include:

• The ad shows a picture of an animal and says, “Don’t eat beef.”
• The ad shows a picture of an animal and says, “Don’t wear leather.”
• The ad shows a picture of an animal and says, “Don’t use products that contain palm oil.”

Appeal to Nature Fallacy in Politics

Examples of Appeal to Nature Fallacy in Politics:

• “We should not have to pay taxes because natural resources fund the government.”
• “The best way to deal with traffic congestion is to build more roads, which will solve the problem.”
•  “I’m going on a diet because I want my body’s natural processes to work properly.”

Appeal to Nature Fallacy examples in Movies

Examples of Appeal to Nature Fallacy in Movies:

• The movie shows a character in animal skin, so it must be natural for humans to wear animal skins.
•  A character is eating food from nature, so the food must be healthy and nutritious.
•  A character is using natural remedies to heal themselves, so those remedies are always effective.
•  Movies that use animals to represent people
• Movies where the protagonist is a plant
•  Movies about nature
•  Movies with an animal as the main character

Appeal to Nature Fallacy Examples in Literature

Examples of Appeal to Nature Fallacy in Literature:

The following excerpt is an example of an appeal to nature fallacy

“The sun, the moon, and the stars would have disappeared long ago…had they happened to be within reach of predatory human hands.”  This quote argues that humans should not interfere with natural processes because they will cause harm in some way.

Other examples include:

• “The wind soothingly rustled the leaves.”
•  The sky was blue, and it made me feel happy.
•  “I know that I am human, but I don’t want to be.”

Appeal to Nature Fallacy Examples in News

Examples of Appeal to Nature Fallacy in News:

The article states that “a new study found that people who live in greener neighborhoods have lower rates of heart disease.”.

This is an example of the appeal to nature fallacy because it assumes that living near green spaces will lead to a healthier lifestyle, but this may not be true for everyone and could be correlated with other factors like income level or education level.

Other examples are articles stating;

•  “The natural environment is a delicate balance that humans are destroying.”
•  “Humans should not interfere with nature.”
•  “Nature has the answers to all of our problems.”

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