num_pages: 264
description: Illuminates the far-reaching consequences the myth of natural has over our lives from misinformation about health choices to mistaken justifications of sexism racism and flawed economic policies.Modern nature worship shares key elements with most religions: mythology rituals and laws. At the center of it all is a god: Nature with a capital N.Academic and journalist Alan Levinovitz's exploration of this faith takes readers deep into Peruvian jungle on a tour of a high-tech Dutch greenhouse wolf-watching in Yellowstone National Park and into a controversial natural healing retreat. His interdisciplinary approach yields a uniquely comprehensive picture of nature worship hidden in plain sight: in refrigerators and hospitals in sports arenas and economic theories. Natural is the first holistic analysis of Nature's influence along with a reckoning of the sacrifices made in its name--the lives lost the guilt suffered the facts distorted. Although natural has become a synonym for holy the reality is that the so-called appeal to nature fallacy can be extremely dangerous. Far from being a path to earthly paradise Nature's supposed laws have routinely stood in the way of genuine progress. Unnatural sexual activity is tabooed; the goodness of natural markets is used to rationalize the elimination of government regulations. Thankfully there's a solution. Abandoning the equation between nature and God allows the real natural world to comes into focus: a place where perfection purity and simplicity are in shorter supply than we tell ourselves in stories yet human goodness and ingenuity are empowered to take their place. Nature has immense value and acting naturally is often a good thing. But as Levinovitz shows humans are unnatural animals and they shouldn't be afraid to embrace our dual nature. Only when we stop worshipping nature can we learn to love what's natural--and stop hating ourselves in the process.
language: English
title: Natural: How Faith in Nature's Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science
publisher: Beacon Press