humannatural

Humannatural is a term used in environmental humanities and design discourse to denote the view that human beings are inseparably embedded within the natural world rather than standing apart from it. In this sense, humannatural emphasizes the continuity between human cultures, technologies, and ecological processes, and it advocates for approaches that integrate ecological knowledge into social policy, urban design, and personal ethics.

Origin and usage: The term is not standardized and does not refer to a single doctrine. It has appeared in scholarly and popular writing as a heuristic to challenge the nature/culture dualism, and to frame sustainability as a relational condition rather than a set of external constraints. It is often associated with biomimicry, ecocriticism, and the environmental humanities, where the aim is to rethink human exceptionalism and acknowledge humans as part of natural systems.

Applications: In practice, humannatural thinking supports restorative and preventive strategies, such as ecosystem-based planning, green infrastructure, and education that situates human actions within broader ecological timelines. It can also inform technology assessment, conservation policy, and community governance by foregrounding feedback loops between human activity and natural outcomes.

Criticism: Some critics warn that broad usage can blur distinctions between natural and artificial or risk romanticizing nature. Proponents counter that clarifying the human-nature continuum provides a necessary corrective to anthropocentrism and can foster more resilient, adaptable decision making.

See also: sustainability, ecocriticism, environmental humanities, biomimicry, nature-society studies, biophilia.