Subject:
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Re: Natural (was: Why...)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 28 Sep 2004 05:43:22 GMT
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Viewed:
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2404 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Tim Courtney wrote:
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Ross Crawford wrote:
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler wrote:
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You seem to be missing the point. Humans are part of nature, are they not?
If you disagree, then please articulate your argument. But if you agree,
then you must cede that anything that humans (who are subsets of the group
Nature) do is natural (i.e., part of nature).
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This brings up an idea that has been through my head on several occasions -
if you use the definition “part of nature” for natural, then what can be
defined as unnatural? After all, everything on this earth has been created
by nature, either directly or indirectly, hasn’t it? Even the most amazing
chemical concoction has been made, in the end, from natural ingredients and
know-how. Is anything unnatural?
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Well, everything that exists operates within the laws of nature, that doesn’t
mean it was created through natural processes. The natural ingredients and
know-how that create a chemical concoction are natural, but the concoction
itself isn’t natural, as it doesn’t occur naturally (without human
intervention). But, the concoction itself is subject to nature’s laws.
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Well, that’s how I was leaning too, ie natural = occurs without human
intervention. However, I have often heard the argument Dave used above, which
seems to contradict that, or at least not fit it exactly. And I don’t think I’ve
ever seen a definition of natural that includes anything along the lines of
“occurs without human intervention”. Dictionary.com has “6. Not altered,
treated, or disguised: natural coloring; natural produce.”, but that’s not
really the same thing.
Is this just a case of a word that has changed it’s meaning in common usage over
time, but no-one ever bothered to update the dictionary?
ROSCO
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Why these news groups were created
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| (...) Well, everything that exists operates within the laws of nature, that doesn't mean it was created through natural processes. The natural ingredients and know-how that create a chemical concoction are natural, but the concoction itself isn't (...) (20 years ago, 28-Sep-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)
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