and in some cases to the processes associated with inanimate objectsÐthe way that particular types of things exist and change of their own accord, such as the weather and
geology of the Earth, and the matter and energy of which all these things are composed. It is often taken to mean the "natural environment" or wildernessÐwild animals, rocks, forest,
beaches, and in general those things that have not been substantially altered by human intervention, or which persist despite human intervention.
For example, manufactured objects and human interaction generally are not considered part of nature, unless qualified as, for example, "human nature" or "the whole of nature."
This more traditional concept of natural things which can still be found today implies a distinction between the natural and the artificial, with the artificial being understood as
that which has been brought into being by a human consciousness or a human mind. Depending on the particular context, the term "natural" might also be distinguished from
the unnatural, the supernatural, and the artifactual.
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