PW5

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University of California, Davis *

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2B

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Philosophy

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Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Gina Salvato PW 5 PHIL 5 3/15/2023 1. Burton Leiser's "Is Homosexuality Unnatural?" examines the idea that homosexuality is unnatural and immoral by looking at the concept of naturalness and its implications for human behavior. Leiser concludes that the concept of "naturalness" is not a reliable basis for ethical judgments because it is subjective and culturally determined, and thus cannot be used to argue that homosexuality is "unnatural" and therefore immoral. 2. "The argument that homosexuality is unnatural, hence immoral, is not a new one. It is frequently advanced by many people who have not had the benefit of exposure to critical thinking." (p. 89) I find this quote interesting because it highlights the importance of critical thinking in evaluating arguments and challenging assumptions. It suggests that people who have not engaged in critical thinking may be more likely to accept arguments based on faulty assumptions or cultural biases. 3. One context where people often equate "natural" with "good" is in discussions of health and wellness. Many people assume that natural remedies and treatments are inherently superior to synthetic or pharmaceutical treatments, despite the lack of scientific evidence to support this claim. Conversely, many people equate "unnatural" or "artificial" with "bad" when it comes to food additives, chemical preservatives, and other ingredients that are commonly used in processed foods. This assumption is often based on a belief that natural foods are healthier and more wholesome than their processed counterparts. 4a. In the context of this specific example, "natural" likely means something that occurs in the natural world without human intervention. Carnists may think that eating meat is "natural" because humans have been doing it for thousands of years and because many other animals also eat meat as part of their natural diet.
4b. Based on Leiser's arguments, I don't think he would accept the use of "what's natural" to defend "what's acceptable." As Leiser points out, the concept of "naturalness" is subjective and culturally determined, and therefore cannot be used to make ethical judgments. He writes, "The concept of nature is a cultural artifact, a human construction that reflects our biases, values, and interests. As such, it cannot be invoked as an objective or neutral standard by which to evaluate human behavior" (p. 90). Therefore, using the argument that eating meat is "natural" to justify its acceptability is not a valid ethical argument.
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