From Natural to Moral: Perceived Naturalness Increases Moral Standing for Non-Sentient Entities

Amid global efforts to conserve natural environments, emerging research indicates that people can also extend moral concern to non-sentient entities. Understanding what drives this concern is essential for strengthening support for such efforts. We propose that entities’ perceived naturalness—that is, whether they are viewed as existing free from human intervention—influences the degree to which those entities are afforded moral standing. Across four experiments we found that natural entities were consistently attributed greater moral standing than visually identical human-made counterparts. Study 1 ( N = 150) established this primary effect. Study 2 ( N = 399) demonstrated that this effect was mediated by perceptions linked to intrinsic value, referring to qualities that make something valuable in and of itself, independent of usefulness for human purposes. Study 3 ( N = 246) found that essence-related attributes, reflecting beliefs that natural entities originate from distinct processes beyond full human understanding, mediated a sequential pathway from perceived naturalness to moral concern. Study 4 ( N = 188) replicated the effects using refined measures and framing. Together, these findings demonstrate that perceived naturalness contributes to moral concern and suggest that conservation efforts may benefit from messaging that frames nature as irreplaceable and uniquely distinct. • People see natural entities as having greater moral worth than human-made counterparts • Perceived naturalness increases moral concern for non-sentient entities • Natural entities are seen as intrinsically valuable, that is, valuable for their own sake and not for their usefulness to others • Natural entities are perceived to possess a distinct and unknowable natural essence