• the material world, esp. as surrounding man and existing independently of his activities;
• the universe, with all its phenomena;
• the sum totality of the forces at work throughout the universe;
• reality, as distinguished from any effect of art: true to nature; the vital powers: food sufficient to sustain nature;
• a primitive wild condition; an uncultivated state;
• the moral state as unaffected by grace (theology)

• the material world, esp. as surrounding humankind and existing independently of human activities
• the natural world as it exists without human beings or civilization
• the elements of the natural world, as mountains, trees, animals, or rivers
• [natural scenery
• the universe, with all its phenomena
• the sum total of the forces at work throughout the universe
• reality, as distinguished from any effect of art: a portrait true to nature

Class definitions of "Nature"

• "anything by 'natural' creation that sustains or destroys life"
• "all things created on Earth in the beginning...developed thereon without the help of man....often taken advantage of and abused by man."
• "the web of life that exists outside the realm of the man- made; it is affected and altered but not created by man. Nature is wild and everything that man has not created."
• "nature is free of man....nature is not free of man. Nature is .
• "nature is the jerk of a fisherman's pole as victor meets victim....It is not parallel parking, traffic court, taxes, dirty dishes...."
• "nature is the world that wasn't created by man....it includes man the creature but not his creations."
• "nature just is; and is everything....Nature is the mother, father, and child of us all. We are conceived, nurtured, and educated by it as well as obligated to protect and care for it."
• "nature is that which occurs without any assistance or interference from man."
• "all living organisms and their environment, every factor that is in the world, abiotic and biotic.
• "nature is things that man did not create....it is a world without people on it."
• "nature is trees, birds, open fields, all animals who live in the forest and the forces they live under [weather man]....it isn't a city of a garden...lame human attempts to recreate nature."
• "The whole of forces at world on the earth. The system of life as set forth by God and largely left unmanipulated by man."
• "nature is what comes from the earth...it is mountains and woods and lakes and streams but it is also your front yard....Nature is whatever you need it to be right now. It is as much what's inside of you as it is what's outside of you."
• "nature is that part of the world which touches man by reminding him of his beginnings."
• "nature is whatever has evolved without the aid or result of human life."
• "all is practically natural, we find. The only unnatural act (or condition) in this world is apathy toward one's own life situation. 'Nature,' then, is only a state of mind."
• "Nature is Everything....Man is a participant in Nature, and a very special one, for he is capable of recognizing and comprehending Nature from an objective viewpoint. We try to define 'Nature'--and other concepts--because we are sentient beings. WE are aware of our own existence....Nature is everything. Or, from Man's foolish perspective, it is everything that is not Man. Either way, Nature Is."

• Everything that happens or exists outside the workings of man. I never thought about it until the course description, but the idea of the course as being interdisciplinary struck me. Nature does include science, philosophy and art. Nature is the life we as humans attempt to understand. It is the world we attempt to control and manipulate for our benefit and comfort. Nature is a basis for what we interpret as beautiful as well as what we consider harmful or unpleasant.
• As I continue to write in this abstract fashion, I'm discovering that my introductory sentence is not consistent because as members of this world, we are a part of nature contributing in all our actions both voluntary or involuntary
• Nature to me is the other part of the world that mostly gets ignored. It is the pure form of life, that is when man doesn't interfere with theit lifestyles. Some say that nature is just something put here to make our life more enjoyable. I believe that nature is everything we are about. It holds all of our emotions within it, and displays them with great accuracy. Most can only appreciate nature for its asthetic properties, but there is more to nature than that.
• Nature is all that is created by a higher power, that which can not be explained or justified by mankind. Nature writing is expressing natural emotions, experiences, and thoughts with the written word.
• When I think of nature, I think about the forest, birds, animals, just everything that exists naturally, not manmade. I think of Thoreau. Nature is life, all the species on earth. Nature writng is writing about these things. To me, nature is peaceful, very pure (or some of it is, what we as humans haven't polluted yet.
• Nature is the the bald-face hornet delivering her sting to the back of my hand through the leather glove I wore while trimming a meadow trail. Nature is the swelling of my hand and the pain, like I've been hit with a hammer. Nature is my body doing what it can to contain the poison and the curse that rolls off my tongue even before I know what's hit me. Nature is the arc through the air my scythe took when the sting hit my brain.
• Nature is the sparrow-hawk circling overhead in the clear blue sky, and my heart leaping in that direction as I stand breathless as the hawk glides flapless. Nature is the empty cans of Budweiser I collect off the graybrown granite rocks of the James. Nature is my anger and indignation at the careless and ignorant. Nature is the forgivness that buries the cans, plastics, and countless other things I miss that day.
• Nature is both scientific and spiritual. It is a combination of living things and the marks of things long dead. It is also the reactions and feelings that we have when we experience our environment. Nature is in conflict with technology while also influencing it. There is a sort of interconnectedness about man and his environment that inspires worship and, in some cases, a desire to control. The amazing thing is that nature is a balance of all of these things. Last night on "Northern Exposure" nature was described as "a hum" or "a symphony" of all living things. That is what I mean by a balance. It's more like harmony.
• Nature is the realm of works of the creator. It is, as shown by the recent earthquake in California, a force that man can not control nor predict. The beeifits for mankind that can be derived from nature are innumerable, the the obstacles sometimes insurmountable. As man develops from a simple animal to a self aware being we will learn our place as a protector and purveyor.
• I think the word "nature" means not just trees and birds and bears and flowers, but all of these things taken together as a whole, dependent yet independent system. I guess I mean an interdependent system of organisms, but somehow it doesn't quite seem that cut and dried or quite that scientific. There's also an image of a romanticized garden of Eden idea, a kind of place to escape from all that is not natural, or civilization. It's not a thing of the Time-Life videos to me; by this I mean I don't picture 'nature' as being a place of any death or conflict, but rather a sort of utopia where everything is right and nothing can be spoiled. It's a beautiful place, this 'nature', but it is a place to be appreciated, because such beautiful things are few and far between.
• The ongoing interactions between living things (and non-linving things) in an environment. The process of living things dying and being born. Nature is also the sky and the wind, the rivers and the bedrock below it. The fish that swim within that environment and the birds that come down to eat them. The whole system that is entangled in a complex network of animals and working.
• Nature is beauty. And all that is a part of nature is beautiful. Lands, plants, animals, skies, and oceans are all a part of nature that is shared with us. Nature is so amazing because it doesn't need the assistance of man to continue surviving as it has done for so long. Nature's goodness can also make up for all that is bad or wrong with man. Man destroys but nature creates and gives birth to. Nature is peaceful and content. It seems as if nature is the backbone to happiness. If there was no nature there would be nothing left in this world to admire and cherish.
• Nature is pure and untouched by man and his modern technology. God's creation that is left the way he made it is nature. There are natural foods that are good for you meaning that these foods have no preservatives or impurities. That's the same way that I look at nature. When I see trees that stretch for miles without a road or a house to disturb them I see nature. Out in the country where the population is small and fields of grass, flowers, and weeds go on for what looks like forever is also nature. Where I live, there are small amounts of nature. I have a few trees in my yard, grass in the backyard, flowers growing wild every now and then, but I live in altered nature. God's creation that is left the way he made it is nature.
• Everything. Infinity. Forever. In a world of machines and business and computer information, nature is the ultimate goal of every living being. All beings will have their end in the earth. We will all decay and return but before this we will all try to fill the spaces with a yearning for nature. We vacation at the beach, seek out remoteness, strive to find time alone. All of this is an attempt towards nature. But in an eternal circle as you must always return to the life you grew up with in modern America, the real nature hidden quietly beneath a mass of heavy concrete. And still we continue to pave.
• Energy. Every atom existing within ourselves and our creations.
• When I think of "nature", I think of woods which are pristine and relatively untouched by human hands. I think of places quiet and undisturbed by the accompanying racket that is usually brought about by the presence of people. I think of lush green forests populated with beautiful, immense trees,
• Nature---I know a lot of people think of trees, outdoors, woods, etc. but when I think of nature I think of the ocean, fish, dolphins, whales, sea creatures, manatee, sharks. The interaction of the animals, their environment, the elements (rain snow sunlight, ) I think of mountains, covered with snow, the fir trees gleaming silver and white with icicles and snow. I remember camping with my boyfriend in the spring in the woods down in Cape Hatteras last year . The sound of the rain hitting the tent and the crickets chirrping at night.
• For me nature is often a feeling. It's the exhilaration that I feel when I look out over a mountain or when I walk through the woods. It's also the tingle of fear and awe that overcomes me when I watch a thunderstorm or hurricane. It's the calmness of a quiet morning with the only audible sound being the birds chirping. It's the urge to rush outside just for the sake of feeling free. I guess it's also the cabin fever that I get when I am forced indoors.
• Nature is beauty. And all that is a part of nature is beautiful. Lands, plants, animals, skies, and oceans are all a part of nature that is shared with us. Nature is so amazing because it doesn't need the assistance of man to continue surviving as it has done for so long. Nature's goodness can also make up for all that is bad or wrong with man. Man destroys but nature creates and gives birth to. Nature is peaceful and content. It seems as if nature is the backbone to happiness. If there was no nature there would be nothing left in this world to admire and cherish.