Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Natural, Artificial, Artifactual

The Natural-Artificial antithesis of common parlance is derived from that of divine creation vs. human manufacture, which is why 'artificial' is often a derogatory term.  But, the Theological prejudice latent in that usage is exposed by contrast with Spinoza's system, according to which human making is an extension of God's creativity within Nature.  So, to avoid confusion, 'Artificial' can be replaced by 'Artifactual', which does not entail 'non-Natural'.  Thus, for example, the expression 'artificial selection', of various branches of Biology, can be rendered as 'artifactual selection'.  Likewise, Artifactual Human Eugenics, e. g. the purchase from a sperm bank based on the characteristics of the donor, is no crime against Nature, but, rather, is an extension of a eugenic instinct that is inherent in the species' drive to propagate itself.

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