Even the most cogent definition of nature fails to dispel a sense
of ambiguity about our position in relation to naturalness. Alexander von
Humboldt established a geographical and scientific view of nature that could be
more or less contained within literature and the genre of landscape painting.
The revolution in our understanding of nature resulting from 20th century
nuclear physics and recent advances in synthetic biology makes it harder to
continue a shared definition of nature. The realisation that nature obeys
physical laws that are amoral undermines what was once a common reference point
in culture.
