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Open Access ,,Ist das natürlich oder ist da Chemie drin?“ Ansätze zu einer transdisziplinären Verständigung über die ,(Un-)Natürlichkeit‘ der Chemie

This article is Open Access under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY licence.

Ob im Essen oder auf dem Acker ‐ Chemie in der Umwelt sorgt für Diskussionen. Vor allem synthetisch hergestellte chemische Stoffe werden von vielen als ,unnatürlich‘ angesehen. Für einen gelingenden gesamtgesellschaftlichen Diskurs über Chemie in der Umwelt ist eine transdisziplinäre Verständigung über die ,(Un-)Natürlichkeit‘ der Chemie notwendig. Dafür werden die verschiedenen vorherrschenden Verständnisse zu Natürlichkeit und Chemie sowie ihres Verhältnisses zueinander aus begriffs- und naturphilosophischer, moralischer, kulinarisch-sinnlicher, chemischer und stoffgeschichtlicher Perspektive beleuchtet.

In environmental debates, the opinion is often raised that synthetic chemicals are ‘unnatural’. Understanding this claim from a transdisciplinary background is fundamentally important for a productive discourse about the role of chemicals in the environment. This article systemizes different perceptions of the ‘(un-)naturalness’ of chemicals and complements existing research on the distinction between ‘natural’ and ‘artificial’ substances. Furthermore, the importance of chemistry as a technique for reproducing ‘natural’ substances is highlighted and combined with a substance stories approach (German Stoffgeschichten). The article establishes a common ground for transdisciplinary communication about the ‘(un-)naturalness’ of chemicals, which can thereby reduce misunderstandings and prejudices in public debates about chemicals in the environment.

Keywords: artificial; chemicals; chemistry; natural; substance stories; transdisciplinary; unnatural

Document Type: Research Article

Publication date: July 15, 2022

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