The trouble with humans is that some of them think they can dominate nature.

This is an old conceit. It is a toxic meme. We cannot dominate nature, by the simple fact that nature is so much bigger than we are.

Many people have a limited understanding of “nature”. They think mostly of animals, plants, and maybe mushrooms. (A few think bugs are their own kingdom.) If that is the limit of one’s conception of the natural world, then of course one will be easily deluded by the idea that nature is small and weak.

Nature is more than a few species of organisms. Firstly, it is millions of species, many of which are invisible, yet pervasive. It is also things which lie on the border between chemistry and true life, like viruses and prions. And that is merely the self-reproducing units.

Chemistry is nature. Along with all the mixtures, solutions, molecular substances and pure elements which participate in chemical reactions. That includes the entire planet Earth, and every other celestial body.

Physics is nature. Not only every atom, but every photon flying through the universe, not to mention all the neutrinos and more exotic particles. Every electric field. The tectonic plates, inexorably grinding across the magma oceans, themselves wrapping the spinning planetary core. Likewise the deep structure of all the trillions of celestial objects we can see, and the countless ones we cannot.

I suppose some people, as is our wont, look at the history of human cleverness, and perform a simple linear extrapolation into the future. We are smarter than apes—and fish, fowl, swine and cattle. We have mastered fire and even nuclear fission. Clearly, they think, this is just the beginning of our understanding and power. All the universe is ours to control.

Maybe. But then again, probably not.

There is yet so much we do not and perhaps cannot understand. Not all things can be described, modeled, simulated, predicted, controlled. Some energies cannot be contained. Some processes cannot be directed. Eventually, we will learn humility. The issue is whether the lesson will be fatal.

Perhaps that is simply who we are. We walk a knife’s edge. Sure, we will curse and swear to repent, when our downfall comes. We are full of hubris and swagger, until the cheque comes due. Fools until the end.

It is, perhaps, a question of attention and resolve. It seems only the most confused, the most fanatical and extreme, have the necessary qualities, which only make them more dangerous—apocalyptic. The rest of us are too distracted, complacent, uncertain, and obedient. We don’t so much believe their nonsense, as we desperately want to avoid being seen as trouble-makers. We are terrified of being singled out, and being banished, or made examples of. We are cowards.

It is this pervasive cowardice—combined with arrogance—which gets us into trouble, and, by the look of things, leads us to our doom. Now it’s merely a question of whether we commit our self-own directly, in some kind of war or technological accident, or indirectly, by undermining the natural systems upon which we utterly depend. Maybe both at the same time?