The Idea of Nature

Collingwood's introduction details the historical development of the philosophical view of nature from three different eras. He compares the views of the Greek and the Renaissance philosophers, and then explains how modern schools of thought discount many of their theories. He states that the modern view of nature abandons the theory that nature is mechanical. Machines need to be "finished" in order to properly function, so a common belief is that "there may be machines in nature, but nature cannot itself be a machine"(Collingwood 14). This caused me to question what are some specific entities in nature that function as a machine? Do these machines have a creator? When are these machines finished and can they function properly without being finished?
While reading this chapter I also began to question mankind's overall purpose in nature. Do we include ourselves in our definition of nature? Or do we simply use this term to define the organisms outside of the human race? Do we as individuals have specific functions that progress nature as a whole?