... he [man] is the ruler and commander of nature. Man has
intelligence; nature has not. Man has volition; nature has none. Man has
memory; nature is without it. Man has the reasoning faculty; nature is
deprived. Man has the perceptive faculty; nature cannot perceive. It is
therefore proved and evident that man is nobler than nature.
If we accept the supposition that man is but a part of
nature, we are confronted by an illogical statement, for this is equivalent to
claiming that a part may be endowed with qualities which are absent in the
whole. For man who is a part of nature has perception, intelligence, memory,
conscious reflection and susceptibility, while nature itself is quite bereft of
them. How is it possible for the part to be possessed of qualities or faculties
which are absent in the whole? The truth is that God has given to man certain
powers which are supernatural. How then can man be considered a captive of
nature?
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a talk, ‘The Promulgation of Universal
Peace’)
