world call in, are we part of nature?

The delema of the human species... does the thinking potential of our complex brains seperate us from Nature?  Make us special?  Make us able to stand outside the functions of Nature?  Or are we simply another natural force among the many that comprise the whole of Nature.   At least for now.  What does our survival as a species depend upon?  That we try to replace Nature with our inventions and imagination or use our natural intelligence to understand the physical laws that we can observe daily and start to figure out how to live with them?  Though many would prefer not to think so... Nature is our dictator.