Natural: The Seductive Myth of Nature’s Goodness

by Alan Levinovitz

A TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR

Without our realising it, a single, slippery concept has become a secular deity throughout the modern industrial world. We make terrible sacrifices in its of our money, our health, and our planet. That deity is nature itself.

From supermarket shoppers to evolutionary biologists, from atheists to pastors, from Alex Jones to Gwyneth Paltrow, we are all prone to the intuitive faith that life should be lived 'naturally'.

But nature can't teach us how to live. If we try to stick to its imagined commands, eschewing human artifice in pursuit of Edenic purity, we jeopardise the environment, our health, and our society. (We also waste a lot of money on pots of weird slime). It is time to accept our profound responsibility to shape the world of which our technology and our selves are wholly a part.

272 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2021

Reviews

[Chloé Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a long while since a book has waltzed around my brain so much as this one had. What a beautiful exhumation of the ambiguous and paradoxical world we live in. A must read for anyone looking to destroy the narrative we are fed about how we should live and what we should support. What if we, the unnatural animals, begin with a hymn to uncertainty and paradox? What will we become?

[Dee • switching to Pagebound! · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The art of celebrating humanity and nature depends on rejecting the dogmatism of mythic binaries and having the courage to embrace paradox.”

A compelling blend of philosophy, ethics, science, history, anthropology, and spirituality, Natural is a beautifully written examination into the deification of nature and the implications thereof. This book was thought-provoking and engaging throughout, and surprisingly cohesive. I enjoyed every page and would recommend this book to a variety of readers. I’ll be thinking about this one for quite some time.

[Catharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was interesting to follow the author's journey from dogmatism to principled pragmatism. I especially appreciated the awareness of and sensitivity to the underlying theological currents propelling purportedly secular and non-religious people and actions. Not ground-breaking for me, but worth having read.

[Philip Mlonyeni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drøye 200 sider med bortkasta papir. Anbefales ikke

[Ana Ivan Karamazov · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. It you're interested in philosophy and nature, this book might be for you.

[Zaeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent start but I finished with lots of questions especially on food. Some great ideas in here though eg nature as todays main religion

[David Allsopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting