The word _nature_ derives from Latin _natura_, which in turn is rooted in the verb _nasci_, “to be born.” It denotes the primal and original condition of all things, including human beings. In essence, nature can be seen as the default condition of planet earth if freed of human impact and of humans (essentially children) before socializing and “civilizing” influences are brought to bear on them. _Nature_ is a complex word with many meanings; the _OED_ sets out three intertwined, indispensable definitions. First, _nature_ is defined as “the creative and regulative physical power which is conceived of as operating in the material world and as the immediate cause of all its phenomena.” This is nature as perceived by the Romantics in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and in modern times may be variously titled God, Mother Nature, Gaia, or evolution. Second, _nature_ is “the material world, or its collective objects and phenomena, especially those with which man is most directly in contact; frequently the features and products of the earth itself, as contrasted with those of human civilization.” This definition separates humanity and its artifacts from “wild” nature. Third, _nature_ is “the inherent and innate disposition or character of a...