Robert Wynman <[log in to unmask]>
>When intelligent folks can't agree on "Is nature perfect."  I suspect we're
>not talking the same language.  Please, Tom, Jean-Louis, etc.  What's your
>definiton of "perfect" in this context?
>
>..........& "nature", for that matter.

Tom:
The words perfect and nature have multiple definitions. In this case,
the most appropriate definition of perfect, is that it is according to some
ideal model. Although we cannot find a single model that all will agree
on, most will view the presence of war & murder (in chimp and human societies)
to be outide the realms of an ideal model, i.e. it is an imperfection.

Nature can be defined as the original condition of the planet, pre-
agriculture. Such a definition is of limited value, so a more relevant
one would be the condition of the planet in areas that are not affected
(in any significant manner) by human activities. The definitions here do
not address the interaction of humans and nature - a difficult philosophical
issue.  However, the original post was not limited to human interaction,
but was more general.

Regards,
Tom Billings
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