Nature and Us

[Krilons Resa]

What is Nature? The broad answer is not too difficult. Simply, Nature is the whole cosmos, the total universe, including its millions of natural laws through space and time.

These laws are eternal. Man has already unveiled millions of Nature's mysteries. Today man is discovering more of Nature's eternal laws at an increasing rate. Through technology he is increasingly benefiting by his understanding of Nature's mysteries. It is fairly safe to say that although mankind will continue to rapidly expand his knowledge of Nature's laws, that it will never, never solve more than a small fraction of them.

When we consider the vastness of our own constellation known as the Milky Way, and realize that it is only one constellation out off millions that can now be detected by our powerful telescopes, our imagination is staggered by the vastness of Nature's universe. We come to realize that our own little world is only a tiny speck in the vastness of space, and our own lifetime only a fleeting moment in the framework of eternity.

Discuss.

 

[NAD]

Nature is taking a dump in the forest and wiping your butt with a pine cone. This is also how a boy becomes a man, or how an East German woman earns her back hair.

Anyhow, I think it's cool that in the grand scheme of things humanity and even Earth aren't all that important, and the vast size of the universe is proof enough for me that other lifeforms must exist elsewhere.

 

[Black Winter Day]

What is Nature? The broad answer is not too difficult. Simply, Nature is the whole cosmos, the total universe, including its millions of natural laws through space and time.

These laws are eternal. Man has already unveiled millions of Nature's mysteries. Today man is discovering more of Nature's eternal laws at an increasing rate. Through technology he is increasingly benefiting by his understanding of Nature's mysteries. It is fairly safe to say that although mankind will continue to rapidly expand his knowledge of Nature's laws, that it will never, never solve more than a small fraction of them.

When we consider the vastness of our own constellation known as the Milky Way, and realize that it is only one constellation out off millions that can now be detected by our powerful telescopes, our imagination is staggered by the vastness of Nature's universe. We come to realize that our own little world is only a tiny speck in the vastness of space, and our own lifetime only a fleeting moment in the framework of eternity.

How many bowls have you smoked tonight?

 

[J.]

Last night Nature decided to blow down one of the dead trees in my backyard.

 

[NAD]

 

[MajestikMøøse]

haha

 

[JayKeeley]

Nature is like when women don't shave their muff and armpits.

I'm an indoors kinda guy anyhoo.

 

[NAD]

Chicks that wear hiking boots but still shave their muff = THE FUCKING WIN.

 

[En Vind Av Sorg]

Wow this is such a broad topic. Thus I will probably make this my sole, useless contribution to this thread. Thank you.

 

[lurch70]

really hairy chicks ... arms, legs and all that ... but with a bald snatch.

fucking confusing >!?!!@!?@>!?@>!@?

 

[Erik]

(First on-topic post!)

What is Nature? The broad answer is not too difficult. Simply, Nature is the whole cosmos, the total universe, including its millions of natural laws through space and time.

These laws are eternal. Man has already unveiled millions of Nature's mysteries. Today man is discovering more of Nature's eternal laws at an increasing rate. Through technology he is increasingly benefiting by his understanding of Nature's mysteries. It is fairly safe to say that although mankind will continue to rapidly expand his knowledge of Nature's laws, that it will never, never solve more than a small fraction of them.

When we consider the vastness of our own constellation known as the Milky Way, and realize that it is only one constellation out off millions that can now be detected by our powerful telescopes, our imagination is staggered by the vastness of Nature's universe. We come to realize that our own little world is only a tiny speck in the vastness of space, and our own lifetime only a fleeting moment in the framework of eternity.

Discuss.

...and this is another reason why I'm not a Christian. In Christianity, man is not considered a part of nature. According to Judeo-Christianity, nature is earthly as opposed to divine, a part of our (poor, decrepit sinners stuck in an earthly shell) punishment and trial before the eternal, heavenly (or hellish) life beyond.

So therefore, Christianity denies the eternal laws of nature by saying it's all a work of God, it says that nature and all its animals (man is OBVIOUSLY not an animal like any other, but the "master-race, taking all the world will give me -- what it won't I shall destroy") were made for man to rule over and use as he pleases -- I doubt that the level of destruction of the environment that we see today would ever have happened in a world wherein (heathen) nature religion was still prevalent instead of Christianity.

All heathen religions are nature religions, where natural phenomena and laws are manifested in gods/archetypes and worshipped, instead of the ludicrous idea that one supernatural being created everything for man to use. It rather obviously follows that Christianity is very, very detrimental to the expansion of man's knowledge of nature of which you speak.

 

[Demonspell]

Denying one's place in the order of nature, the only true form of omnipresence, is to put preservation of both oneself and the greater world at risk...man will soon regret assuming dominion over nature...

 

[speed]

Hm, well I was just reading Beyond Good and Evil, and the good German philosopher has this to day about the philosophy of nature, which my feeble mind wholeheartedly agrees with:


You want to live “according to nature”? Oh you noble Stoics, what deceptive words these are! Imagine a being like nature, wasteful beyond measure, indifferent beyond measure, without purpose and consideration, without mercy and fairness, fertile and desolate and uncertain at the same time; imagine indifference itself as a power—how could you live according to this indifference? Living—is that not precisely wanting to be other than this nature? Is not living estimating, preferring, being unjust, being limited, wanting to be different? And supposing your imperative “live according to nature” meant at bottom as much as “live according to life”—how could you not do that? Why make a principle of what you yourselves are and must be?— In truth, the matter is altogether different: while you pretend rapturously to read the canon of your law in nature, you want something opposite, you strange actors and self-deceivers! Your pride wants to impose and incorporate your morality, your ideal onto nature, even onto nature, you demand that it be nature “according to the Stoa,” and you would like all existence to exist only after your own image—as an immense eternal glorification and universalization of Stoicism! For all your love of truth, you have forced yourselves so long, so persistently, so rigidly and hypnotically to see nature falsely, namely stoically, that you are no longer able to see it differently—and some abysmal arrogance finally still inspires you with the insane hope that because you know how to tyrannize yourselves—Stoicism is self-tyranny—, nature, too, lets itself be tyrannized: is not the Stoic—a piece of nature? ..... But this is an old, eternal story: what formerly happened with the Stoics still happens today, as soon as any philosophy begins to believe in itself. It always creates the world in its own image, it cannot do otherwise; philosophy is this tyrannical drive itself, the most spiritual will to power, to the “creation of the world,” to the causa prima [first cause].

 

[speed]

So upon reflection, just what are the laws of nature; are they not indifference? Has humanity not evolved in reaction to the harshness of nature? There is a reason why all the nature loving pagan religions are dead, or never evolved into the present.

 

[speed]

Try defending your argument big man, perhaps we will enter into a informative and interesting discussion. Perhaps you are afraid? Jesus, you are such a goddamn child. I have never encountered a person on this board so lacking in intelligence who cannot defend his arguments with anything other than insults, nor refuses to even harbor a different opinion other than his own.

 

[NAD]

I dunno man, big red letters usually mean business.

I probably missed the point behind the Nietzsche quote, but I take it he is saying the only thing people living for nature could do would be to die? Or maybe he's saying that man is part of nature itself and that living for it is..... bah, it's too early for philosophy, I'll try this again later.

 

[Krilons Resa]

When we consider the vastness of our own constellation known as the Milky Way, and realize that it is only one constellation out off millions that can now be detected by our powerful telescopes, our imagination is staggered by the vastness of Nature's universe. We come to realize that our own little world is only a tiny speck in the vastness of space, and our own lifetime only a fleeting moment in the framework of eternity.

This right here is what gets my fucking goat. It can be depressing or equally as liberating, depending on how you look at it. The funny thing is, when you take the above statement into account, which is true, it is amazing how egotistical humanity really is. Everything/everybody is so godamn special when in reality, in the totality of things, it's all quite meaningless. Pardon my extensive use of pronouns.

The Western world is heading for a disastrous demise if it continues to place itself above nature as well. That's another can of worms which is directly linked to Christianity like Erik mentioned.

The more I rack my brain over existentialistic thoughts, the more I keep circling back to Nihilism. Seriously, everything just is. There are no absolute truths except for the ones that people conjure up in their minds like morality, values, etc. which are DEFINITELY not a bad thing as it creates order from disorder to a certain extent.

Paradoxically, many times throughout the day I will just sit there and inhale the air and feel blessed that my parents fucked and popped me out. Just to experience life is so completely wondrous it blows my freaking mind. I cannot even epistemologically do it justice. I am thankful as all hell to just be able to experience my 5 senses. Also, when I start thinking about this shit, it makes all the problems in the world seem ridiculously petty.

Still, sociopsychological issues are fucking confusing. I guess I am just going to enjoy the ride while it lasts.

 

[Krilons Resa]

No comments? Geez, you guys suck.

 

[NAD]

I guess the forum was too busy bickering about black metal and denying the proven fact that Nirvana rules.

All I can add to your last statement is that I completely agree. Existence means absolutely nothing, but god damn if it ain't a kick in the pants just being around.

EDIT: Life is like a Seinfeld episode!

 

[NAD]

GOD DAMMIT. I thought of something really profound to add while smoking on the toilet just now, and I forgot. Worst part is, I didn't even poop!