All jokes aside everything in the universe is by definition a part of nature, and for us humans to proclaim that we, and by extention, any product of our labor is beyond nature is arrogance.
that’s true in a strict but not useful for demarcation sense. even with an understanding that we are animals made of meat and electrochemistry, there’s a scale and abstraction to what we build that really doesn’t belong in the same category as nests, termite mounds, or beaver dams.
we use tools to make tools to make tools to make tools… to make computers and space rockets, other tool-using animals use a stick to get bugs out of a log.
i think it’s contextual. there are many situations we would do well to remember that our social-level actions impact the world we live in and we are impacted by it in turn.
one specific example of the demarcation being important is telling creationists to shut the fuck up. if you walk around in the woods and find something plainly artificial you’ve done so by contrast to the natural surroundings.
It does make sense to give a “lie to children” when arguing with some people, and demarcating man-made vs natural could be useful there, but it wouldn’t be a part of my world-view to make this demarcation.
On a fundamental philosophical sense, I just don’t see a distinction. Under materialist philosophy, everything is equally a part of nature and its laws.
many (incorrectly) see humans as somehow apart from or above nature
the walmart parking lot isn’t very naturey.
All jokes aside everything in the universe is by definition a part of nature, and for us humans to proclaim that we, and by extention, any product of our labor is beyond nature is arrogance.
that’s true in a strict but not useful for demarcation sense. even with an understanding that we are animals made of meat and electrochemistry, there’s a scale and abstraction to what we build that really doesn’t belong in the same category as nests, termite mounds, or beaver dams.
we use tools to make tools to make tools to make tools… to make computers and space rockets, other tool-using animals use a stick to get bugs out of a log.
I think the demarcation between “humanity” and “nature” is a really harmful one. It should be combated.
i think it’s contextual. there are many situations we would do well to remember that our social-level actions impact the world we live in and we are impacted by it in turn.
one specific example of the demarcation being important is telling creationists to shut the fuck up. if you walk around in the woods and find something plainly artificial you’ve done so by contrast to the natural surroundings.
It does make sense to give a “lie to children” when arguing with some people, and demarcating man-made vs natural could be useful there, but it wouldn’t be a part of my world-view to make this demarcation.
On a fundamental philosophical sense, I just don’t see a distinction. Under materialist philosophy, everything is equally a part of nature and its laws.