The Naturalism That Isn't Natural

Hodja frequently encounters characters who appeal to tradition or nature to justify actions that don't bear scrutiny. "It's natural that humans eat meat," we say—ignoring that factory farming has nothing natural about it. "Predation is natural," we claim—while engaging in practices no predator would recognize. This concept exposes how "naturalism" often functions as ideology disguising human choice. Industrial animal agriculture isn't natural; it's a highly artificial system requiring massive infrastructure, energy, and violence. Appeals to nature typically hide the constructed, deliberate, and profitable systems maintaining animal exploitation. Hodja's approach would be to ask: is this actually natural, or have we hidden our choices behind the word "nature"? A truly natural relationship with animals would involve far fewer animals, more direct knowledge of their individual lives, and acceptance of seasonal limitation. The irony is that industrial civilization's most artificial systems are often defended as natural necessity.