Abstract
Sustenance of our existence as a whole, even at its basic level, demands countless goods and services. Source of all these needs is of course nature. Based on an extensive synthesis of literature, this study analysed human acquisition of essential goods and services through occupation of nature’s work. In nature, these goods and services are produced through the manipulation of biophysical elements and various assemblies of natural processes. Unceasing provision of goods and services depends on the scale of their production and our ways of delegation with nature. Scientific community has reached a general consensus that the current magnitude and mode of acquisition of human needs threaten the very provision of these needs as well as integrity of the natural world. Current magnitude of our occupation of nature’s work also entangles us with many responsibilities. Essentially, it demands for an integrated understanding of the biophysical elements and actual operating processes which produce our needs. The study highlights that from sixteenth century onwards; we see a continuous increase in human dominance on this planet, in context of occupation of nature’s work. Nonetheless, this human singularity is not characterised by a qualified understanding of the respective interfaces. We generally consider the magnitude of services produced, but seldom consider the level of human understanding, which is actually used in supervising the work at the respective interfaces. A cordial human nature entente demands that the occupation of nature’s work should be supported by a qualified understanding of the respective biophysical elements and processes. It will not only enhance already working processes but also recombine them to construct new configurations of the biophysical world.
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This research was supported by National 985 Project of Non-traditional Security at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41401631).
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Hussain, J., Akhmat, G., Tan, S. et al. The way forward to strengthen human nature entente: an educated human presence at all the interfaces of this relationship. Qual Quant 49, 2107–2121 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-014-0096-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-014-0096-6