--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have heard people suggest that because…" description: "\"“I have heard people suggest that because humans are natural that everything humans do or create is natural. Chainsaws are natural. Nuclear bombs are n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/derrick-jensen-2824_clean-air_i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because_2479683.jpg" --- # I have heard people suggest that because humans are… ![“I have heard people suggest that because humans are natural that everything humans do or create is natural. Chainsaws are natural. Nuclear bombs are natural. Our economics is natural. Sex slavery is natural. Asphalt is natural. Cars are natural. Polluted water is natural. A devastated world is…” quote by Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/derrick-jensen-2824_clean-air_i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because_2479683.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/derrick-jensen-2824_clean-air_i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because_2479683.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/derrick-jensen-2824_clean-air_i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because_2479683.jpg) > ““I have heard people suggest that because humans are natural that everything humans do or create is natural. Chainsaws are natural. Nuclear bombs are natural. Our economics is natural. Sex slavery is natural. Asphalt is natural. Cars are natural. Polluted water is natural. A devastated world is natural. A devasted phyche is natural. Unbridled exploitation is natural. Pure objectification is natural. This is, of course, nonsense. We are embedded in the natural world. We evolved as social creatures in this natural world. We require clean water to drink, or we die. We require clean air to breathe, or we die. We require food, or we die. We require love, affection, social contact in order to become our full selves. It is part of our evolutionary legacy as social creatures. Anything that helps us to understand all of this is natural: Any ritual, artifact, process, action is natural, to the degree that it reinforces our understanding of our embeddedness in the natural world, and any ritual, artifact, process, action is unnatural, to the degree that it does not”” [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human actions are natural only when they align with our evolutionary need for social and ecological well‑being; otherwise they are harmful. **In simple terms:** Only actions that support human and ecological health are truly natural. Key Takeaway Align actions with ecological and social health. Themes environment human nature ethics Mood reflective critical Type philosophical environmental When to use this quote - urban planning - environmental policy - personal lifestyle - community building Key Concepts Evolutionary biology social ecology technology critique Questions to Reflect On - How do we define “natural” in modern society? - What responsibilities arise from our natural embeddedness? A Different Perspective Not all human inventions are beneficial despite being “natural”. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clean air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean-air/) [Clean water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean-water/) [Exploitation Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation-natural-849371/) [Humans Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans-natural-849372/) [Natural Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-humans-849370/) [Natural Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-ritual-849373/) [Natural world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-world/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Understand Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-natural-849374/) ## Related quotes > [Do nothing that is not natural - and ritual is natural - and all will be for the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/do-nothing-that-is-not-natural-and-ritual-is-natural-and-all-will-be/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Humans are natural-born scientists. When we're born, we want to know why the stars shine. We want to know why the sun rises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/humans-are-natural-born-scientists-when-we-re-born-we-want-to-know/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [We can understand, too, that natural species are chosen not because they are 'good to eat' but because they are 'good to think.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-strauss/we-can-understand-too-that-natural-species-are-chosen-not-because/) [Levi Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levi-strauss/) > [I don't really understand the natural world, I admire it and am a little bit afraid of its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-kent/i-don-t-really-understand-the-natural-world-i-admire-it-and-am-a/) [Julia Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-kent/) > [Not all is doom and gloom. We are beginning to understand the natural world and are gaining a reverence for life - all life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-tory-peterson/not-all-is-doom-and-gloom-we-are-beginning-to-understand-the-natural/) [Roger Tory Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-tory-peterson/) > [Science's domain is the natural. If you want to understand the natural world and be sure you're not misleading yourself, science is the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/science-s-domain-is-the-natural-if-you-want-to-understand-the-natural/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [“The sea teaches the lesson every ecologist urges us to understand about the natural world: that it cares nothing for us, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-marsden/the-sea-teaches-the-lesson-every-ecologist-urges-us-to-understand/) [Philip Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-marsden/) > [We should learn to understand natural selection, so that we can oppose any tendency to apply it to human politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-should-learn-to-understand-natural-selection-so-that-we-can-oppose/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as a living organism. Today you can murder land for private profit. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-brooks/we-shall-never-understand-the-natural-environment-until-we-see-it-as-2/) [Paul Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-brooks/) > [It is not enough to understand the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/it-is-not-enough-to-understand-the-natural-world-the-point-is-to/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [The scientific process has two motives: one is to understand the natural world, the other is to control it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-p-snow/the-scientific-process-has-two-motives-one-is-to-understand-the/) [C.P. Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-p-snow/) > [Certainly in order to understand the natural world one needs clarity, logic, and the capacity for theory building. But that understanding tends to improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-asad/certainly-in-order-to-understand-the-natural-world-one-needs-clarity/) [Talal Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-asad/) > [“We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need? -Lee Iacocca, former chairman, Ford Motor Company”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-d-price/we-ve-got-to-pause-and-ask-ourselves-how-much-clean-air-do-we-need/) [Steven D. Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-d-price/) > [There is no domestic issue more important to America in the long run than the conservation and proper use of our natural resources, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/there-is-no-domestic-issue-more-important-to-america-in-the-long-run/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [“We must have clean air and water, and beautiful natural foods for everyone, everywhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/we-must-have-clean-air-and-water-and-beautiful-natural-foods-for/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## More by Derrick Jensen > [The global industrial economy is the engine for massive environmental degradation and massive human (and nonhuman) impoverishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/the-global-industrial-economy-is-the-engine-for-massive-environmental/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [“In sum, one of the primary things I learned was how to kill time. I learned also to wish away my life. I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/in-sum-one-of-the-primary-things-i-learned-was-how-to-kill-time-i/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [“I had broken the most basic commandment of our culture: Thou shalt pretend there is nothing wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/i-had-broken-the-most-basic-commandment-of-our-culture-thou-shalt/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [“Someone asked me once at a talk why I so stress the positive with my students yet am such an unstinting critic of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/someone-asked-me-once-at-a-talk-why-i-so-stress-the-positive-with-my/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [If the world is presented as resources to be exploited, then, more than likely, you're going to exploit the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/if-the-world-is-presented-as-resources-to-be-exploited-then-more-than/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [It's no wonder we don't defend the land where we live. We don't live here. We live in television programs and movies and books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/it-s-no-wonder-we-don-t-defend-the-land-where-we-live-we-don-t-live/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [“ISOLATION DOES STRANGE THINGS to a person’s mind. This is true for any social creature, human or otherwise. Monkeys taken from their mothers at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/isolation-does-strange-things-to-a-person-s-mind-this-is-true-for-any/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [My great-grandmother grew up in a sod house in Nebraska. When she was a tiny girl - in other words, only four human generations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/my-great-grandmother-grew-up-in-a-sod-house-in-nebraska-when-she-was/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [Where will you drive your own picket stake? Where will you choose to make your stand? Give me a threshold, a specific point at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/where-will-you-drive-your-own-picket-stake-where-will-you-choose-to/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [“So often, environmentalists and others working to slow the destruction are capable of plainly describing the problems (Who wouldn’t be? The problems are neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/so-often-environmentalists-and-others-working-to-slow-the-destruction/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [Forests precede us and deserts dog our heels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/forests-precede-us-and-deserts-dog-our-heels/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [“The condition of alienation, of being asleep, of being unconscious, of being out of one’s mind, is the condition of the normal man. Society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/the-condition-of-alienation-of-being-asleep-of-being-unconscious-of/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [So many indigenous people have said to me that the fundamental difference between Western and indigenous ways of being is that even the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/so-many-indigenous-people-have-said-to-me-that-the-fundamental/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [When dams were erected on the Columbia, salmon battered themselves against the concrete, trying to return home. I expect no less from us. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/when-dams-were-erected-on-the-columbia-salmon-battered-themselves/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) > [People say 'what do you mean' when you talk about 'bringing down civilization.' What I really mean is depriving the rich of the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/people-say-what-do-you-mean-when-you-talk-about-bringing-down/) [Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) [Explore all 149 Derrick Jensen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/) ## More Clean air quotes > [“We must have clean air and water, and beautiful natural foods for everyone, everywhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/we-must-have-clean-air-and-water-and-beautiful-natural-foods-for/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [There is no domestic issue more important to America in the long run than the conservation and proper use of our natural resources, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-nelson/there-is-no-domestic-issue-more-important-to-america-in-the-long-run/) [Gaylord Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-nelson/) > [“We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need? -Lee Iacocca, former chairman, Ford Motor Company”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-d-price/we-ve-got-to-pause-and-ask-ourselves-how-much-clean-air-do-we-need/) [Steven D. Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-d-price/) > [“I'm starting to realize that being born into this social world is a little like being born into clean air. You take it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randa-abdel-fattah/i-m-starting-to-realize-that-being-born-into-this-social-world-is-a/) [Randa Abdel-Fattah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randa-abdel-fattah/) > [You go into a community and they will vote 80 percent to 20 percent in favor of a tougher Clean Air Act, but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ruckelshaus/you-go-into-a-community-and-they-will-vote-80-percent-to-20-percent/) [William Ruckelshaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ruckelshaus/) > [I am an environmentalist. ... I am for clean air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-am-an-environmentalist-i-am-for-clean-air/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [This is a truth that should be repeated like a mantra: to have any chance of a ful - filling life, we require not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnside/this-is-a-truth-that-should-be-repeated-like-a-mantra-to-have-any/) [John Burnside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnside/) > [Why worry about minor little details like clean air, clean water, safe ports and the safety net when Jesus is going to give the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/why-worry-about-minor-little-details-like-clean-air-clean-water-safe/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Tax reduction has an almost irresistible appeal to the politician, and it is no doubt also gratifying to the citizen. It means more dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-gardner/tax-reduction-has-an-almost-irresistible-appeal-to-the-politician-and/) [John W. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner/) > [Any first-generation technology will. But we are looking at carbon the same way we look at every pollutant under the Clean Air Act; we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-mccarthy/any-first-generation-technology-will-but-we-are-looking-at-carbon-the/) [Gina McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-mccarthy/) > [EPA's Affordable Clean Energy rule (ACE), would restore the states' proper role under the Clean Air Act and our system of federalism. Our plan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-r-wheeler/epa-s-affordable-clean-energy-rule-ace-would-restore-the-states/) [Andrew R. Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-r-wheeler/) > [Our work seeks to focus attention on the necessity of developing security for the global village, meeting its need for clean air, water, food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalie-bertell/our-work-seeks-to-focus-attention-on-the-necessity-of-developing/) [Rosalie Bertell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalie-bertell/) > [America is a global leader on clean air progress and carbon dioxide reductions, and we are the envy of the world when it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-r-wheeler/america-is-a-global-leader-on-clean-air-progress-and-carbon-dioxide/) [Andrew R. Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-r-wheeler/) > [If you're asking me do we want clean air and clean water? Yes. Do we want a safer climate for future generations of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/if-you-re-asking-me-do-we-want-clean-air-and-clean-water-yes-do-we/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [Self-centeredness will bring on the destruction of our world. National pride separates people. All people need the same thing. When you really get down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/self-centeredness-will-bring-on-the-destruction-of-our-world-national/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) [Browse all 159 Clean air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean-air/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have heard people suggest that because humans are natural that everything humans do or create is natural. Chainsaws are natural. Nuclear bombs are natural. Our economics is natural. Sex slavery is natural. Asphalt is natural. Cars are natural. Polluted water is natural. A devastated world is natural. A devasted phyche is natural. Unbridled exploitation is natural. Pure objectification is natural. This is, of course, nonsense. We are embedded in the natural world. We evolved as social creatures in this natural world. We require clean water to drink, or we die. We require clean air to breathe, or we die. We require food, or we die. We require love, affection, social contact in order to become our full selves. It is part of our evolutionary legacy as social creatures. Anything that helps us to understand all of this is natural: Any ritual, artifact, process, action is natural, to the degree that it reinforces our understanding of our embeddedness in the natural world, and any ritual, artifact, process, action is unnatural, to the degree that it does not”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Derrick Jensen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because-humans-are-natural-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clean air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because-humans-are-natural-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/derrick-jensen-2824_clean-air_i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because_2479683.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/derrick-jensen-2824_clean-air_i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because_2479683.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/derrick-jensen-2824_clean-air_i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because_2479683.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have heard people suggest that because humans are natural that everything humans do or create is natural…” — Derrick Jensen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Derrick Jensen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I have heard people suggest that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because-humans-are-natural-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/i-have-heard-people-suggest-that-because-humans-are-natural-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```