Nature

Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. It ranges in scale from the subatomic to the cosmic.

The word nature is derived from the Latin word natura, or "essential qualities, innate disposition", and in ancient times, literally meant "birth". Natura was a Latin translation of the Greek word physis (φύσις), which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord. The con Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. It ranges in scale from the subatomic to the cosmic.

The word nature is derived from the Latin word natura, or "essential qualities, innate disposition", and in ancient times, literally meant "birth". Natura was a Latin translation of the Greek word physis (φύσις), which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord. The concept of nature as a whole, the physical universe, is one of several expansions of the original notion; it began with certain core applications of the word φύσις by pre-Socratic philosophers, and has steadily gained currency ever since. This usage was confirmed during the advent of modern scientific method in the last several centuries.

Within the various uses of the word today, "nature" often refers to geology and wildlife. Nature may refer to the general realm of various types of living plants and animals, and in some cases to the processes associated with inanimate objects – the way that particular types of things exist and change of their own accord, such as the weather and geology of the Earth, and the matter and energy of which all these things are composed. It is often taken to mean the "natural environment" or wilderness–wild animals, rocks, forest, beaches, and in general those things that have not been substantially altered by human intervention, or which persist despite human intervention. For example, manufactured objects and human interaction generally are not considered part of nature, unless qualified as, for example, "human nature" or "the whole of nature". This more traditional concept of natural things which can still be found today implies a distinction between the natural and the artificial, with the artificial being understood as that which has been brought into being by a human consciousness or a human mind. Depending on the particular context, the term "natural" might also be distinguished from the unnatural, the supernatural, or synthetic.

Nature writing is generally defined as nonfiction prose writing about the natural environment. Nature writing often draws heavily on scientific information and facts about the natural world; at the same time, it is frequently written in the first person and incorporates personal observations of and philosophical reflections upon nature. ...more

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Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America's Love for the Wild

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Lists

A Brief History of Time by Stephen W. Hawking

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

History of the Universe and Earth

155 books — 86 voters

A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There by Aldo Leopold

Walden or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau

Nature Calls Outside My Window, A Collection of Poems and Sto... by Suzanne Cottrell

Best Nature Books

1,175 books — 1,004 voters

Signature in the Cell by Stephen C. Meyer

The Design of Life by William A. Dembski

Best Books against Darwinism

199 books — 60 voters

The Ultimate Human Secrets - The Hidden Power in our Mysterio... by Ramzi Najjar

Best New Age Books

495 books — 424 voters

In the Company of Crocodiles by Maggie Brown

A Lesbian Wilderness

90 books — 69 voters

The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman

Books for Bird Lovers

548 books — 220 voters

Nature Books

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There

Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses

An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us

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Plants
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Quotes Tagged “Nature”

“ Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter. ”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

1809 likes

“ In youth, it was a way I had, To do my best to please. And change, with every passing lad To suit his theories. But now I know the things I know And do the things I do, And if you do not like me so, To hell, my love, with you. ”
― Dorothy Parker, The Complete Poems of Dorothy Parker

2187 likes

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