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

New Releases Tagged "Nature"

End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World

Bogland: The Secret World That Defies Death and Protects Life

A Raven of the Rainforest (A Voice of the Wilderness Novel, 5)

Carrie the Tree Fairy: A Fall Fairy Tale

The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State

The Everest Mystery: Sandy Irvine, George Mallory, and the Truth Still Buried on Everest

Up on Cove Mountain: Adventure, Tragedy, and a Quest for Meaning on the Appalachian Trail

The Ghost of the Mountains: Unraveling the Secrets of the Snow Leopard

The World Beneath Our Feet: The Hidden Life of Soil and Why It Matters to Us All

I Have This Thing for Flowers: Essays on the Roots of Relationships

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A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck

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Lists

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

Adult Nonfiction Animal Books

602 books — 182 voters

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

Best Bear Books

189 books — 84 voters

Impregnation Stories are Domination at its Finest

227 books — 230 voters

Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

Amazon Rainforest

108 books — 100 voters

Shores, Coasts, Deltas, Estuaries, Bays, Open Ocean, and Deep Sea

276 books — 99 voters

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

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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Related Genres

Nonfiction
Environment
Outdoors
Plants
Ornithology

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Quotes Tagged “Nature”

“ If I were a tree, I would have no reason to love a human. ”
― Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys

1461 likes

“ Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. ...more ”
― John Muir, The Mountains of California

1278 likes

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