The key question, it seemed to him, was that of whether man was to obey Nature, or attempt to command her. It had been answered long, long ago, claimed Moss; man's very essence lay in the fact that he had elected to command. But to Stenham that seemed a shallow reply. To him wisdom consisted in the conscious and joyous obedience to natural laws, yet when he had said that to Moss, Moss had laughed pityingly. 'My dear man, wisdom is a primitive concept,' he had told him. 'What we want now is knowledge.' Only great disillusionment could make a man say such a thing, Stenham believed.
In the narrative, the character Moss asserts that the fundamental choice for humanity is whether to obey or command Nature, claiming that to command is inherent in our very nature. This perspective, however, is met with skepticism by Stenham, who values the idea of wisdom as a joyful acceptance of natural laws. He believes that true understanding comes from harmony with nature rather than domination over it.
Stenham's contrast with Moss reveals a deeper philosophical conflict; while Moss dismisses wisdom as outdated and prioritizes knowledge, Stenham contemplates the cost of such disillusionment. He fears that prioritizing knowledge at the expense of wisdom leads to a shallow existence, suggesting a disconnect from the intrinsic values that honor the natural order. This dynamic reflects a tension between pursuing intelligence and maintaining a meaningful relationship with the world.