A vocabulary for the future: nature

The French philosopher Bruno Latour challenges the common idea that nature is inherently good and separate from human-made or artificial things.

He argues that drawing a strict line between these two categories isn’t just a factual observation but a moral judgment: nature is often seen as pure and good, while the artificial is viewed as flawed or bad.

This binary thinking, Latour suggests, oversimplifies reality by ignoring how deeply intertwined human actions and natural processes truly are.

For example, a marble quarry wall or a city like Manhattan are often labeled as 'artificial,' yet they are part of the Earth’s geological and ecological systems.

Latour’s critique highlights that such distinctions are not neutral but shaped by cultural and ethical assumptions.