Nature, in its broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, material world or material universe. The term refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. In general, it does not include artificial objects or human intervention, unless it is qualified so as to make reference to it, for example with expressions such as "human nature" or "the totality of nature". Nature also is differentiated from the supernatural. It extends from the subatomic to the galactic world.
"nature" is the dynamics and harmony of all living beings and inert matter in its wide diversity in all its varieties and combinations through time and space, from climatic, seismic, volcanic, geological, geographical activities and atmospheric.
The concept of nature as a whole-the physical universe-is a more recent concept that has become increasingly widespread with the development of the modern scientific method in recent centuries.2 3
Within the various current uses of this word, "nature" can refer to the general domain of various types of living beings, such as plants and animals, and in some cases to the processes associated with inanimate objects - the way in which the various particular types of things and their spontaneous changes-, as well as the weather, the geology of the Earth and the matter and energy that all these entities possess. Often, it is considered to mean "natural environment": wild animals, rocks, forests, beaches, and in general all things that have not been substantially altered by humans, or that persist despite human intervention. This more traditional concept of natural things implies a distinction between the natural and the artificial (the latter understood as something made by a human mind or conscience).
