Asklemmy

Well it's not. Every development in human quality of life has involved some level of mastery over nature. The creation of fire for nutrient bioavailability. The advent of agriculture for food stability. The subconscious use of genetics and breeding to make better food for ourselves. The transport of food across water to create cities. The freedom from hunting and gathering afforded to some to allow for technological specialization. With the industrial revolution came the green revolution shortly thereafter that made agriculture more efficient with tractors and other powered tools. Using bacteria, C. Elegans, fruit flies, rats, and dogs as model species has advanced our understandings of genetics and of medicine. Speaking of medicine, our mastery over plants and fungi cannot be neglected.

Moreover, none of these avenues are dead ends of development, at least, at the moment. Plant science, agricultural science, medicine, microbiology, and many other fields are active areas of study where we continue to advance our understanding of nature.

Now, in improving our own circumstance, we indeed have run into some quite disastrous issues. Climate change is far and away the largest (which is a consequence of capitalism). Within our drive for self-preservation and improving circumstance, however, we have already concocted some of the solutions. At the very least, power and transportation are both solved through a combination of nuclear and renewable energy.

Moreover, conservation is a necessarily paternal field. We tend to cause the problems that conservation needs to solve, yes, but we're the only species that is capable of identifying there is a problem, finding causes, and trying to solve them. The species that are going extinct don't exactly know that.

To summarize, we are a part of the biosphere, and also masters of it. It gives us sustenance and life but without our intervention it does so in an unstable manner. When we direct it, we ascend beyond mere participants. And when we screw it over (or very rarely, when it screws itself over), we have to be the ones to fix it.

Anyway, I think this is the best I can reasonably treat the onlookers to this conversation. As for you, I'm done talking to you. If you want to be no better than the plants and animals, I'll treat you as such.