In Naturalness, Dieter Birnbacher delves into an argument common in everyday thinking and ethics—the argument of naturalness. This argument suggests that what is natural is in some ways superior to what is artificial, due to repeated positive connotations associated with the natural. This book presents both a phenomenology and a critique. For the former, Naturalness reviews the role of naturalistic arguments in various domains of everyday language and reasoning as well as in political and ethical debates, especially regarding controversial issues in preservation. For the latter, it critically discusses the persuasiveness of naturalness, both intellectually and morally, and how it is currently no more than an expression of conservatism and resistance to change in basic orientations.

Dieter Birnbacher's survey of arguments about the concept of "naturalness" originally appeared in Germany in 2006, and its publication, now in English, is a welcome addition to the literature.... I recommend this book to anyone working in the field of environmental philosophy.... There is much to learn from Birnbacher. * Environmental Ethics *

Dieter Birnbacher is a professor of philosophy at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany; president of the Central Ethics Commission of the Bundesärztekammer (German Medical Association); and a member of Leopoldina, German National Academy of Sciences.