ABSTRACT
There is among the contributors to this book no consensus on the definition of nature. Some have argued that nature is everything that can be observed, distinguishing nature only from the supernatural world. Others have taken the view that nature is defined by life, in contrast to the inorganic world. Still others have set nature against culture. I will not take a position in this debate, but concentrate on the indisputable parts of all definitions of nature: living nature, human nature and our genetic constitution in particular. Our DNA is a necessary condition for our mere existence, and is seen as an integral part of one’s personality and self by many people. As a clinical geneticist I come across this aspect of nature in daily practice all the time.
