--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why should humans in their unsurity…" description: "\"Why should humans in their unsurity decide what species are and are not important to humans? Is nature's characteristic ability to naturally select spe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/ivan-urlaub-78794_nature_why-should-humans-in-their-unsurity-deci_1224450.jpg" --- # Why should humans in their unsurity decide what species… ![“Why should humans in their unsurity decide what species are and are not important to humans? Is nature's characteristic ability to naturally select species not the most perfect decision maker we humans have access to on this issue? Just as we expect human children to respect their human elders…” quote by Ivan Urlaub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/ivan-urlaub-78794_nature_why-should-humans-in-their-unsurity-deci_1224450.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/ivan-urlaub-78794_nature_why-should-humans-in-their-unsurity-deci_1224450.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a9/ivan-urlaub-78794_nature_why-should-humans-in-their-unsurity-deci_1224450.jpg) > “Why should humans in their unsurity decide what species are and are not important to humans? Is nature's characteristic ability to naturally select species not the most perfect decision maker we humans have access to on this issue? Just as we expect human children to respect their human elders, let us humans collectively respect our significant elder--Nature.” Ivan Urlaub ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans should defer to natural selection as the ultimate arbiter of species importance, treating nature as an elder deserving collective respect. **In simple terms:** Let nature decide species value, not humans. Key Takeaway Prioritize ecological balance over human bias. Themes environment ethics humility interdependence Mood thoughtful urgent Type environmental ethical When to use this quote - policy making - education curricula - community activism Key Concepts conservation biology philosophy of nature anthropocentrism Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do we have to protect less “species? - How can we balance human development with nature’s hierarchy? A Different Perspective Human needs may conflict with ecological priorities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [No species is more important than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/no-species-is-more-important-than-others/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [“The problem is this: nature has assembled all these species on this planet. The human species is no more important than any other species…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/u-g-krishnamurti/the-problem-is-this-nature-has-assembled-all-these-species-on-this/) [U.G. Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/u-g-krishnamurti/) > [Human beings any one of us, and our species as a whole are not all-important, not at the center of the world. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/human-beings-any-one-of-us-and-our-species-as-a-whole-are-not-all/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [There's no question to my mind that saving our civilization and many other species is more important than our ability to do ground-based astronomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grinspoon/there-s-no-question-to-my-mind-that-saving-our-civilization-and-many/) [David Grinspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grinspoon/) > [Politicians need a better understanding of global ecology. We need to be freed from our species-specific arrogance. No evidence exists that we are 'chosen',…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-margulis/politicians-need-a-better-understanding-of-global-ecology-we-need-to/) [Lynn Margulis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-margulis/) > [“As humans, it is in our nature to focus on picking ourselves up while the whole world falls apart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-teya/as-humans-it-is-in-our-nature-to-focus-on-picking-ourselves-up-while/) [Joshua Teya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-teya/) > [“Humans and nature can never be friends! Nature will never hesitate to starve you in the drought, drown you in the rain, burn you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mouloud-benzadi/humans-and-nature-can-never-be-friends-nature-will-never-hesitate-to/) [Mouloud Benzadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mouloud-benzadi/) > [In our traditional culture, people have a very different view towards nature than in Western culture. We consider humans as part of nature. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-yansong/in-our-traditional-culture-people-have-a-very-different-view-towards/) [Ma Yansong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-yansong/) > [We need a philosophy for humans and nature to live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/we-need-a-philosophy-for-humans-and-nature-to-live-together/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [The relationship of humans to nature. We are sadly divorced from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neko-case/the-relationship-of-humans-to-nature-we-are-sadly-divorced-from-it/) [Neko Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neko-case/) > [“So you know that all living things share the same energy source and that every action that humans do to nature will affect everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-cooklin/so-you-know-that-all-living-things-share-the-same-energy-source-and/) Alison Cooklin > [Eventually, ritual was developed as a means of contacting and utilizing the energy within humans as well as in the nature world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cunningham/eventually-ritual-was-developed-as-a-means-of-contacting-and/) [Scott Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cunningham/) > [I am super inspired by the Grand Canyon. Looking at nature and observing what it does even looking at a little seed, is impressive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kissey/i-am-super-inspired-by-the-grand-canyon-looking-at-nature-and/) [Kissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kissey/) > [I live in the rural area of North Georgia, so for me, those are these best days. It has little to do with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ray/i-live-in-the-rural-area-of-north-georgia-so-for-me-those-are-these/) [Amy Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ray/) > [But the bottom line is that, as humans, we are by nature selfish creatures. The only way we care about anything, really, is by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-the-bottom-line-is-that-as-humans-we-are-by-nature-selfish/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## More by Ivan Urlaub > [If intelligence is the ability to adapt to change, then wisdom is to know how and why to adapt for more than personal or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-urlaub/if-intelligence-is-the-ability-to-adapt-to-change-then-wisdom-is-to/) Ivan Urlaub > [We have limited knowledge, or else science and philosophy would not be necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-urlaub/we-have-limited-knowledge-or-else-science-and-philosophy-would-not-be/) Ivan Urlaub Explore all 3 Ivan Urlaub quotes ## More Nature quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/borrow-trouble-for-yourself-if-that-s-your-nature-but-don-t-lend-it/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [“When the water covers the earth the sun will vanish the darkess and the cold will come.When the last dragon and the last Elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvana-de-mari/when-the-water-covers-the-earth-the-sun-will-vanish-the-darkess-and/) [Silvana de Mari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvana-de-mari/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) [Browse all 47,383 Nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why should humans in their unsurity decide what species are and are not important to humans? 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