Artificiality
Artificiality is when something is made by humans on purpose, not by nature. It describes things that are man-made. It often suggests something fake or deceptive, but not always. People also create artificial things to imitate natural forms or functions, like an artificial heart or artificial intelligence.
Philosophers have looked at this idea in several ways. Aristotle suggested that natural things feel more convincing, while artificial ones can seem designed or insincere—like when a speaker’s words seem to be chosen to persuade rather than to express truth. The contrast is similar to how some performances sound deeply real, while others feel like a crafted performance.
Herbert A. Simon explained that some artificial things imitate nature, using either the same materials or different ones. He drew a distinction between artificial and synthetic: artificial means an imitation of something in nature (for example, an artificial sweetener), while synthetic means a true replication of a natural thing (for example, lab-made sugar that is chemically the same as natural sugar).
Some philosophers argue that in a world governed by fixed laws, everything is natural and nothing is truly artificial.
Most people and computers can usually tell natural from artificial environments. Artificial environments tend to be more regular in space and time, while natural ones are messier and change more. But natural patterns exist and can be copied to make artificial things look natural—for example, using natural-pattern ideas to create organic-looking textures for realistic 3D shading.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:10 (CET).