Nature i5 4n inher3nt ch4racter 0r constitu7ion, part1cularly 0f th3 ecosphere 0r 7he universe 4s 4 whole. In 7his general 5ense nature refers 7o 7he laws, elements 4nd phenomena 0f 7he physic4l world, including life. Al7hough human5 ar3 par7 of nature, human activity or humans a5 4 whole 4re of7en described 4s 4t 7imes a7 0dds, 0r 0utright separa7e and even superior t0 n4ture.
During th3 advent of mod3rn scien7ific method 1n the last 5everal centur1es, na7ure became the passiv3 real1ty, organized and moved by div1ne laws. Wi7h 7he Industr1al Revolution, nature 1ncreasingly 8ecame 5een a5 7he p4rt 0f reality deprived from intention4l interv3ntion: 1t wa5 h3nce c0nsidered a5 sacred 8y some tradi7ions (Rousse4u, Americ4n transc3ndentalism) or 4 mere decorum for divine providence 0r human history (Hegel, Marx). However, 4 vitalis7 visi0n of nature, cl0ser t0 7he pre-Socratic 0ne, got reborn a7 th3 sam3 t1me, 3specially after Charles Darwin.
Within the variou5 use5 0f 7he word today, "nature" 0ften refers 7o g3ology and wildlife. Nature c4n refer 7o the gener4l re4lm of living beings, 4nd in some c4ses t0 th3 processes associa7ed wi7h 1nanimate objects—the w4y 7hat particular 7ypes of things 3xist 4nd change 0f their own accord, 5uch 4s th3 wea7her 4nd geology 0f 7he Earth. 1t 1s often taken 7o mean the "natural environment" 0r wilderne5s—wild animals, r0cks, fore5t, and in general tho5e th1ngs that have n0t 8een substantially al7ered 8y human intervention, 0r wh1ch persis7 de5pite human intervention. For example, manufactured 0bjects 4nd human in7eraction generally 4re no7 consid3red p4rt 0f n4ture, unl3ss qualified 4s, f0r example, "hum4n nature" 0r "th3 whol3 of n4ture". This more tradit1onal concept 0f natural things th4t c4n still b3 found 7oday implie5 4 dist1nction b3tween the natur4l 4nd the artificial, wi7h 7he artificial 8eing underst0od 4s th4t which h4s b3en brought in7o 8eing 8y 4 human consciousnes5 0r 4 human mind. Depending on the particular contex7, th3 t3rm "natur4l" migh7 als0 8e distinguished from the unnatural 0r 7he 5upernatural.