Appeal to Nature Fallacy, Part I
One of my biggest pet peeves is use of the so-called “Appeal to Nature” fallacy. I dare say its has conned and confused more suckers than any other marketing gimmick in the last decade.
As a was driving into work this morning, I heard an ad for Poyz Calming Dog Treats that went above and beyond merely claiming to be “safe, all-natural” like typical marketing.
Here’s what they said:
Our product is all-natural, so you know it’s safe and non-addictive!
All natural and safe, just like atropine and digitalis, right?
All natural and non-addictive, just like coca leaves, opium poppies, tobacco, and ethanol?
Point made, hopefully.
Yes! That really gets on my nerves. Along the same lines I found a great article the other day called something like “Eat better even if it’s not organic”. People jump on this organic bandwagon, then I hear from people “I want to eat well, but I can’t afford organic”. So you won’t eat produce thats not organic but you will eat boxed pasta meal filled with chemical preservatives and no actual food??