Reply To: Jewish Perspective on Humans Controlling Nature

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benignuman
Participant

My understanding hashkafically is that the Torah is in favor of humans manipulating and improving nature for the betterment of humans. We are partners in creation.

There is a maaseh brought down in the Gemara where a Roman argued to Rabbi Akiva that bris milah was a perversion of the nature that Hashem created. Rabbi Akivah brought the Roman a cake and asked the Roman if he would rather eat a slice of cake or chew some wheat, raw eggs, raw sugar, drink some oil, etc. The Roman got the point.

I don’t think humanity will ever be fully in control of everything but it is certainly noble to try and harness nature for the betterment of as many people as possible.