Learning from Nature
We can learn many things when we observe nature. We can measure the rate of acceleration due to gravity. We can calculate the mutation rate in certain genes. We can quantify biomass production on forested land. The possibilities of learning from the natural world are virtually endless.
However, there are some things that nature cannot teach us. Especially relevant for the focus of this post, nature can’t teach us the difference between good and evil. Nature can tell us what exists – how things are – but nature can’t tell us whether those things are right or wrong.
Is Nature Inherently Good?
Sometimes people try to make an argument (often called a syllogism) that follows this basic pattern:
Premise 1: Life exists in nature.
Premise 2: Nature is inherently good.
Conclusion: Therefore, life is inherently good.
However, the conclusion of the argument is only as reliable as the two statements (premises) that are used to construct the argument. If I can demonstrate that Premise 1 or Premise 2 aren’t true, then the argument breaks down, and the Conclusion isn’t validated. Since the Conclusion in the above argument sounds valid, we can be tempted to accept both premises as valid. But if you evaluate the argument shown above, you’ll notice that Premise 2 is a weak link in the chain. Premise 2 (that nature is morally good) is often assumed by people, but it can’t be demonstrated. In fact, we can find many natural occurrences that we would consider to be inherently bad.
Bad Things Come Naturally
As one example, we know that alligators are carnivores, and they naturally eat a variety of living things: fish, human beings, and so on. If Premise 2 was true, we could construct the following argument:
Premise 1: Alligators kill and eat people in nature.
Premise 2: Nature is inherently good.
Conclusion: Therefore, when alligators kill and eat people, it’s inherently good.
I hope you can recognize intuitively that there’s something wrong with this argument. We can agree that alligators eat people in nature. It’s certainly natural. But this isn’t the same thing as saying that alligators eating people is inherently good. We don’t celebrate or approve when alligators kill and eat people, because we recognize that it’s tragic rather than right.
Some other examples are just as potent:
Premise 1: A child is born deaf in nature.
Premise 2: Nature is inherently good.
Conclusion: It is inherently good for a child to be born deaf.
Premise 1: Through the natural course of life, I struggle with severe depression.
Premise 2: Nature is inherently good.
Conclusion: It is inherently good for me to struggle with severe depression.
Premise 1: My natural desire is to hit someone when I’m angry at them.
Premise 2: Nature is morally good.
Conclusion: Therefore, my desire to hit someone when I’m angry at them is morally good.
If these things are inherently good, why do we intervene with surgeries to try to restore hearing? Why do mental health professionals prescribe medication? Why do we value moral education for children that transcends their self-centered instincts and violent impulses?
Where Can I Find What’s Inherently Good?
We can speak of many other natural occurrences that we wouldn’t label as morally good: hurricanes, extinction of species, greenhouse gas emissions from volcanoes and wildfires, fatal genetic defects – the list goes on. And in all this, it’s clear that what we observe in nature (the way things are) is distinct from what we perceive as moral (the way things ought to be). And this has several important ramifications.
- We must recognize that human morality is informed and established by something different from the natural universe. It should be especially noted that if there is a real moral standard over humanity, it implies that there must also be a real standard giver over humanity – namely, a God.
- We should be okay with embracing that there’s a remarkable resiliency, complexity, and order that prevails as normative in the universe, while also recognizing that many things have fallen out of place. The natural universe doesn’t seem to be all that it’s supposed to be, and it’s meaningful to investigate why that is.
- We should recognize that there are some things that may feel natural to us – our instincts, our desires, or our emotions – that may not be inherently right. Though these things may seem natural to us, nature doesn’t determine what’s good. It’s hard to admit this. It takes a good deal of of maturity and humility to recognize our limitations. But it’s an important step toward finding what’s truly good.
The Good News of Christianity
Christianity accounts for all these things. The universe was created out of God’s goodness and wisdom (Genesis 1:1), but human beings defied God and plunged the world into corruption and decay (Romans 5:12). Though punishment will come against those who persist in ignoring God or defying him, God has made a way for us to be saved from corruption and death so we can walk in the goodness of his ways (Ephesians 2:1-10). A day is coming when the old brokenness of the earth will pass away, and those whom God saves will enter into a new universe where all is made right forever (Revelation 21:3-5).
Until these things come to pass, we should expect that sometimes what feels right to us will be wrong. Some things that seem natural to you will be bad. But God is making all things new, and he invites you to be made new, too. Drawing near to God like this probably won’t come naturally. But let me assure you – it really is good.
