Answer to Question #167511 in Philosophy for Ashpreet kaur

Question

Given that there are different ways to define nature, how should we decide which definition to use for which purposes? Is it just a matter of personal opinion or can we make arguments to show that some definitions and uses are not appropriate for some purposes?

Answer 1

Nature has tow different meanings that are interrelated. One one hand it means the state of all things that are nature and on the other hand it is used to describe the essential features in individual beings. Defining nature depends on the subject and age of work of the context in question.

In most cases nature is a personal opinion or even cultural opinion. Across time different cultures and individuals defined nature in different ways. For example, Aristotle who was a physicist defined nature as a principle within the natural law when the ancient Greek defined it as universal ways that are present in all times and places.