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What’s the difference between natural and man made? (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Just something I was talking about with the wife this evening. She says that our house is not natural and used the phrase “out in nature”. But lots of animals build nests. And are we not animals just doing the same?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It depends on the situation, the topic, and even the person; words don't have hard-coded meaning. For example, for me:

A substance extracted directly from plants, even cultivated ones, is "natural". One that relies on industrial processes is "man-made".
A desire path is "natural", even if caused by human activity. A planned path is "man-made".

So at the end of the day, perhaps it has to do with planning? At least for me. Man-made things aren't just the result of human activity; they're the goal of said human activity. That may or may not apply to what your wife was talking about, depending on the context of what she said - those nests are not the goal of human activity, unlike your house.