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The use of economic lexicon to refer to the components of nature is often accused of influencing our representations of the environment. It is blamed for contributing to the commodification of nature, indirectly degrading ecosystems. This article investigates the history of ecosystem services and natural capital as concepts at the border of economics and ecology. It concludes that we should not consider these concepts as mere mediators of a scientific imperialism on our representations of the natural world. Because dialogue with ecology is inevitable, economics is not completely impervious to biophysical and ecosystem dynamics, on condition that we know the true scope of the words we use.