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The Natural = Good Phallacy


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Posted by georgio on May 11, 2003 at 19:17:38:

In Reply to: Calcium Supplement Question!!!!! posted by LindsayMarie on May 11, 2003 at 10:43:40:

First of all I have not used either ParaZap or Absolute Calcium and do not know if they effective products. However I have been reading this thread and think this discussion is interesting. One of the things I have noticed is there is an inclination for those defending Parazap and Absolute Calcium to use the argument that "since it is natural it is safe and good for you." I read an interesting article a while back explaining how this is a common misconception. If you accept the principles of evolution as most scientists do you will realize that a plants role is not to provide excellent nutrition but rather to survive. Almost every plant we buy at the grocery store is selectively bred to have its natural toxins reduced as low as possible. Thus wide scale use of pesticides is needed because the plants are now unable to defend themselves. "Nature" is not intended to feed us, its role is to survive and reproduce.

I think the trend in herpetology (and any unknown field) at first is to try to and gain as much knowledge as possible in order to replicate the animal’s natural way of life. But once this knowledge is complete we may be able to devise unnatural improvements to a herps natural way of life in order to increase its health. Look at humans. Nobody can argue given our current lifespan that our "unnatural" lifestyle--sleeping on mattresses, going to doctors and taking medicines, even eating processed protein bars--has been overall detrimental to our health. Sure we go overboard with things such as fast food, lack of exercise and over medicating (to name a few) but on the whole we are vastly healthier than say the hunters and gatherers thousands of years ago. Vegetables are great for you and we should eat more of them. Parazap and Absolute Calcium could prove to be the best products in the world for our animals. But it is wrong to jump to the conclusion that because it is natural it is safer and superior to unnatural products.

Peter




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