Is Anything Artificial in Naturalism?

Graham Oppy says naturalism wins as the best explanation for nature, but it cannot explain artifacts or nature if nature is the cause of everything.

I’m following the Method of Engagement: 1) Present the topic. 2) State the atheist (naturalist) view. 3) State the theist view. 4) Analyze and compare. 5) Ask for feedback.

1. Present the topic.

Is anything artificial in naturalism? This question might seem like a quibble, but I think it is a serious matter to understand what we mean when we say “nature.” Naturalism is one of the different beliefs within atheism. Philosophical naturalism is the view that everything is natural. A naturalist believes that only laws and forces of nature operate in the world. All beings, all events, and all causes belong to the natural universe. This view rules out supernatural beings, events, or causes. As such, all knowledge can be pursued by the scientific investigation of nature, and all nature is potentially knowable.

The words “artifact” and “artificial” come from the classical Latin, artificiālis, which means made by human skill and ingenuity (OED). An “artifact” (n) is an object made by human workma…