The word Nature- tell me why it shouldn’t be banned.

[bimble]

What is the word nature for? It exists just to vaguely and idiotically denote ‘stuff that’s nice and not us or connected to us’, which romantic notion is actually a pointless & deluded category to think with.
I’m going to stop using the word nature ever again because it’s crap. Probably invented by the victorians. Like the picturesque and cute Xmas cards with kittens on.
Am I wrong & if so when is Nature a meaningful pointful thing to say please thanks.

 

[Edie]

Seems like a useful word to me

 

[bimble]

Seems like a useful word to me

Useful to mean just, stuff that’s not to do with humans in any way? That’s kind of not real though isn’t it.
Like ‘all natural’ on a shampoo bottle. No meaning.

 

[NoXion]

I definitely think the word should be banned from being used on food packaging and advertising and such, because it's completely fucking meaningless.

But that would be part of a whole raft of other measures I would like to see implemented that don't necessarily have anything to do with nature per se. Like when companies put words like "sugar free" on the packaging of foods which never had any sugar to begin with, that kind of thing.

 

[Numbers]

Seems like a useful word to me

Quite a beautiful word too.

 

[maomao]

Useful to mean just, stuff that’s not to do with humans in any way? That’s kind of not real though isn’t it.
Like ‘all natural’ on a shampoo bottle. No meaning.

It being meaningless in a marketing context doesn't mean the word is devoid of meaning in other contexts. Marketing sucks the meanings out of lots of words.

Also what is nurture going to be versus in your nature free world?

 

[planetgeli]

You see humans as separate from nature? That's...an interesting proposition.

When I say interesting, I mean wrong.

 

[bimble]

You see humans as separate from nature? That's...an interesting proposition.

When I say interesting, I mean wrong.

Exactly.
It’s this use that needs banning.

 

[bimble]

 

[weltweit]

Nature is the big picture.

Humans and their actions are part of big picture Nature

we are still a natural animal

 

[bimble]

Nature is the big picture.

Humans and their actions are part of big picture Nature

we are still a natural animal

Exactly, so we could then just say, reality, or something specific that doesn’t carry the false dichotomy of us v It.So what’s the point of the word.

Quite a beautiful word too.

why is it beautiful?

 

[weltweit]

Exactly, so we could then just say, reality, or something specific that doesn’t carry the false dichotomy of us v It.So what’s the point of the word.

carry the false dichotomy?
What dichotomy?

 

[LDC]

Bit agree with you bimble

It's an othering of something we used to be part of, and its use probably emerged as we became alienated from the world around us and then yeah the Victorians. Now also used as a marketing tool to sell us stuff, as well as a way we can explain nice looking green stuff we look at when we drive to the country in our cars or look at on our screens on our breaks from work etc.

About the same as 'health' food etc.

 

[bimble]

It being meaningless in a marketing context doesn't mean the word is devoid of meaning in other contexts. Marketing sucks the meanings out of lots of words.

Also what is nurture going to be versus in your nature free world?

Culture v .. instinct ? I don’t know haven’t thought it through. Slightly beery philosophical evening.

 

[bimble]

carry the false dichotomy?
What dichotomy?

Nature and humans / culture. As two opposed categories.

 

[bimble]

Bit agree with you bimble

It's an othering of something we used to be part of, and its use probably emerged as we became alienated from the world around us and then yeah the Victorians. Now also used as a marketing tool to sell us stuff, as well as a way we can explain nice looking green stuff we look at when we drive to the country in our cars or look at on our screens on our breaks from work etc.

About the same as 'health' food etc.

Yep. Like oh look at the pretty view, of nature.

 

[weltweit]

Nature and humans / culture. As two opposed categories.

Humans are a bit of nature, admittedly a bit that has in recent times gotten a bit too big for its boots, but a bit of nature still. And our works.

 

[bimble]

Humans are a bit of nature, admittedly a bit that has in recent times gotten a bit too big for its boots, but a bit of nature still. And our works.

Yes so what’s the word nature for. That’s my question.

 

[weltweit]

Our activities affect nature, nature affects our activities, we are still an animal, albeit one that has developed technology.

 

[weltweit]

Yes so what’s the word nature for. That’s my question.

Nature is the big picture, everything, including us.

 

[LDC]

Can also be massively reactionary. Natural roles for men and women. Human nature. Naturally competitive. It's just natural. Etc.

 

[bimble]

Our activities affect nature, nature affects our activities, we are still an animal, albeit one that has developed technology.

If the word includes everything, like cars and pesticides, then it’s pointless. If it doesn’t then it needs defining.

 

[BillRiver]

Nature is the big picture, everything, including us.

The OP knows this and has said so repeatedly!

That's kind of their point. Which I agree with.

 

[LDC]

Nature is the big picture, everything, including us.

I don't agree. That's the world/earth/ecology/biosphere/etc. I think the use of the word nature is something that's different as bimble says. More specific, narrower, alienated.

 

[maomao]

Nature is the big picture, everything, including us.

And yet if I suggested we 'get back to nature' for the weekend and took you to an inner city housing estate you'd surely be dissatisfied.

 

[chilango]

Request Rejected

keywords.pitt.edu

 

[bimble]

Thanks urban for not laughing at me. Not exactly going to phone someone with this lightbulb moment but yeah. Would / will be interesting to try to not use the word in that way.

 

[Aladdin]

I mostly associate it with the natural world on earth....ie...trees, mountains, lakes, rivers, sky, animals, plants, minerals.

Not sure why it deserves a ban?

I do agree that the use of the word on packaging of products claiming that the contents are "natural" as opposed to "man made" is another matter altogether.
And I dislike it's use in relation to human behaviour. "Good natured person"
..nope...

But "Nature" in the grand sense is ok.

 

[bimble]

I mostly associate it with the natural world on earth....ie...trees, mountains, lakes, rivers, sky, animals, plants, minerals.

Not sure why it deserves a ban?

I do agree that the use of the word on packaging of products claiming that the contents are "natural" as opposed to "man made" is another matter altogether.
And I dislike it's use in relation to human behaviour. "Good natured person"
..nope...

But "Nature" in the grand sense is ok.

Trees rivers animals etc.. is my cat part of Nature? If he is then am I as well or not?

 

[planetgeli]

Nature (and the word natal) both come from a root that implies birth and some kind of living process. Not a car. Not ketamine for example. Most drugs come from some sort of living root. Ketamine doesn't. Ketamine is a purely chemical reaction, put together by humans. Doesn't start from nature, as a living process like a plant. Therefore we need 'nature' as a word to distinguish from other more artificial concepts like ketamine. And cars.