Within the various uses of the word today, "nature" often refers to geology and wildlife . Nature can refer to the general realm 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 . It is often taken to mean the " natural environment" or
wilderness —wild animals, rocks, forest, 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 or the supernatural.
How do we define life?
There are at least two different perspectives on what is life. One is rooted in chemistry, the other in theology . The theological position acknowledges the chemical nature of life, but it describes life to also have a very significant, spiritual nature. That spiritual nature is expressed only in part through the conduit of our chemical being.
By contrast, the strictly secular perspective recognizes only the chemical nature of existence. The secular perspective acknowledges nothing other than what is measurable or material. This materialist perspective limits its definition of life to only that which some believe slowly evolved from lifelessness.
WHY IS DEFINING LIFE IMPORTANT?
It is important to determine which description of the nature of life is most accurate, regardless of difficulty, because it is through our concept of life's nature that we interpret the world around us. This appraisal includes whether or not we believe the Bible to be from God. Ultimately, the biblical view of life and the secular view go back to their respective premises that God either does or does not exist. On that basis, this is the section perhaps least likely to help most readers determine the believability of the Bible. For that reason, questions about the nature of life may not be examined as exhaustively as their profound importance otherwise demands.
Earth is the only planet known to support life, and its natural features are the subject of many fields of scientific research. Within the solar system , it is third closest to the sun; it is the largest terrestrial planet and the fifth largest overall. Its most prominent climatic features are its two large polar regions, two relatively narrow
temperate zones, and a wide equatorial tropical to subtropical region.Precipitation varies widely with location, from several metres of water per year to less than a millimetre. 71 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by salt-water oceans. The remainder consists of continents and islands, with most of the inhabited land in the Northern Hemisphere .
Earth has evolved through geological and biological processes that have left traces of the original conditions. The outer surface is divided into several gradually migrating tectonic plates . The interior remains active, with a thick layer of plastic mantle and an iron-filled core that generates a magnetic field . This iron core is composed of a solid inner phase, and a fluid outer phase. Convective motion in the core generates electric currents through dynamo action, and these, in turn, generate the geomagnetic field.
The atmospheric conditions have been significantly altered from the original conditions by the presence of life-forms,which create an ecological balance that stabilizes the surface conditions. Despite the wide regional variations in climate by latitude and other geographic factors, the long-term average global climate is quite stable during interglacial periods, [8] and variations of a degree or two of average global temperature have historically had major effects on the ecological balance, and on the actual geography of the Earth.
Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth . The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structure , physical properties , dynamics, and history of Earth materials , and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed. The field is a major
academic discipline, and is also important for
mineral and hydrocarbon extraction, knowledge about and mitigation of natural hazards , some
Geotechnical engineering fields, and understanding past climates and environments.
THE PROPERTY OF ANIMATION
Of course, if physics and chemistry are the only tools with which an investigator is using to determine what constitutes life, it is only natural that the answer will be a physiochemical one. However, as Rene Dubos insightfully points out,
The mechanical definition of human life misses the point because what is human in man is precisely what is not mechanical.
THE PROPERTY OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Another property of human life, less obvious than animation, is that of consciousness. Thinkers like Lovejoy who claim that everything is living, often also conclude that everything is conscious. (This is not dissimilar to the beliefs embraced by
gaiasophy ; the belief that all things are but holistic manifestations of a single spirit-entity.)
Consciousness, the quality of being self-aware, allows us to delay or check our responses from what might be reflex or instinct. Some call this ability free will.
THE PROPERTY OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Another property of human life, less obvious than animation, is that of consciousness. Thinkers like Lovejoy who claim that everything is living, often also conclude that everything is conscious. (This is not dissimilar to the beliefs embraced by
gaiasophy ; the belief that all things are but holistic manifestations of a single spirit-entity.)
Consciousness, the quality of being self-aware, allows us to delay or check our responses from what might be reflex or instinct.
A pond is a body of standing water , either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens designed for aesthetic ornamentation,
fish ponds designed for commercial fish breeding, and solar ponds designed to store thermal energy. Ponds and lakes are distinguished from streams via current speed. While currents in streams are easily observed, ponds and lakes possess thermally driven micro-currents and moderate wind driven currents. These features distinguish a pond from many other aquatic terrain features, such as stream pools and tide pools .
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