The whims of nature

… is from page 29 of Tomas Sedlacek’s 2011 book Economics of Good and Evil (original emphasis):

The entire history of culture is dominated by an effort to become as independent as possible from the whims of nature.  The more developed a civilization is, the more an individual is protected from nature and natural influences and knows how to create around him a constant or controllable environment to his liking.  Our menu is no longer dependent on harvests, the presence of wild game, or the seasons….

Nowadays we usually perceive unspoiled nature as an ideal of beauty and purity, but most Western-type people would not survive for long in nature’s untouched locations.  It is not a world of people.

Source: Cafe Hayek.