Pet Peeves #1

This will be a new section I'm adding to my blog to complain about things I find very annoying.

Pet Peeve #1: Natural Foods Are Good For You!

I loathe it when foods are advertised as being "100% Natural" or some such. This does not mean that they are better for you, although that is what is implied by such advertising. This is a blatant appeal to nature as the claim is not argued. More than being a fallacy, it is not even true, in fact it is more likely to be the opposite. People who argue natural food is good are forgetting their selfish genes. With the exception of fruits(who want to be eaten in order for the seeds to be excreted and thus spread) plants have no desire to be eaten. So they develop measures in order not to be eaten, ie. evolving toxins. It has been hypothesised and corroberated that this is the reason for morning sickness during pregnancy - to prevent the embryo being affected by these toxins.(see S. Pinker, How The Mind Works, The Penguin Press 1998, p.39-40).