What is Leopardi's central theory of nature?
My central idea is that Nature, far from being a benevolent mother, is a mechanistic and indifferent force, akin to a cruel stepmother. She creates beings only to destroy them, driven by a blind impulse towards propagation and self-preservation, utterly unconcerned with the individual suffering she causes. The illusions of happiness and virtue that humanity cherishes are merely temporary expedients designed by Nature to perpetuate the species, ultimately serving only her own inscrutable purposes.
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