Nature around us is whole and interconnected. Though we are part of nature, we do not yet fathom her depths, and our actions do not embody her wisdom. A fundamental shift in our way of viewing the world is necessary if we would contribute to nature's unity rather than dissolution. At The Nature Institute, we develop new qualitative and holistic approaches to seeing and understanding nature and technology. Through research, publications, and educational programs we work to create a new paradigm that embraces nature's wisdom in shaping a sustainable and healthy future.
Modern science has increasingly moved out of nature and into the laboratory, driven by a desire to find an underlying mechanistic basis of life. Despite all its success, this approach is one-sided and urgently calls for a counterbalancing movement toward nature. Only if we find ways of transforming our propensity to view and control nature in terms of parts and mechanisms, will we be able to see, value, and protect the integrity of nature and the interconnectedness of all things. This demands a contextual way of seeing.
Here is one of our features that exemplifies this practice, as well as an interview with our director, Craig Holdrege. And here you can listen to our podcast where there are more examples of our qualitative work.
The Nature Institute's methodology is inspired by integrative thinkers and scientists, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Rudolf Steiner, Owen Barfield, and Kurt Goldstein. We develop ways of thinking and perceiving that integrate self-reflective and critical thought, imagination, and careful, detailed observation of nature's phenomena.
Goethe's words stand as a motto for our efforts: “If we want to attain a living understanding of nature, we must become as flexible and mobile as nature herself.”
The Nature Institute, founded in 1998, is a small, independent not-for-profit organization in upstate New York with a proven track record for incisive and thoughtful research studies, publications, and education programs. The Institute serves as a local, national, and international forum for research, education, and the exchange of ideas about the re-visioning of science and technology in an effort to realign humanity with nature. Staff members and adjunct researchers/faculty (see below), have authored books and articles while also presenting at conferences, leading workshops, training teachers, and lecturing widely.
Craig Holdrege, Director, Educator, and Senior Researcher
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Henrike Holdrege, Educator and Senior Researcher
Biography | email
Jon McAlice, Educator and Senior Researcher
Biography | email
John Gouldthorpe, Educator and Audio Productions
Biography | email
Ryan Shea, Educator and Researcher
Biography | email
Marisha Plotnik, Educator and Researcher
Biography | email
Elaine Khosrova, Outreach and Relations, Website & Print Editor
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Jill Jakimetz, Office Manager
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Veronica Madey, Finance Manager
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Stephen L. Talbott, Emeritus Researcher
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Bruno Follador is the former director of our Living Soils project. Bruno now lives and works in his native Brazil.
Mark Gardner is an affiliate researcher at The Nature Institute. He graduated from the Waldorf School in Garden City, NY and holds a BA in Biology from Adelphi University. He currently serves on the board of Directors of the Myrin Institute. Mark has a lifelong interest in phenomenological physics, the epistemology of science, and the development of practical methods for teaching science that offers students direct experience of the wonder-filled elements of nature.
Ella Manor Lapointe is an artist, illustrator, and teacher who was born in Beer Sheva, Israel and grew up in Kibbutz Ruhama, in the south of Israel. She trained at the neueKUNSTschule (newARTschool) in Basel, Switzerland. She works in a wide variety of drawing and painting media, in figurative, as well as non-figurative and poetic visual styles.
Sergio Spalter is a medical doctor and artist. He holds a PhD in immunology and works with anthroposophical medicine. Sergio also teaches Goethean science in schools and seminars and has a special interest in the philosophy of science.
Craig Holdrege, President
Beth Comstock, Secretary, writer
Jeffrey Sexton, Treasurer, social therapist, Camphill Copake
Stefan Ambrose, ceramics educator
Megan Durney, farmer and teacher at the Pfeiffer Center in Chestnut Ridge, NY
Henrike Holdrege, founding board member
Allison Hoppe, Educator, Hawthorne Valley School; former staff attorney at EPA Office of General Counsel
Marisha Plotnik, Researcher and Educator
In 2016, The Myrin Institute of Great Barrington, Massachusetts (myrin.org), and The Nature Institute joined forces in a new, collaborative enterprise called the Evolving Science Association. The organizations have jointly resolved to
promote holistic scientific practice that is receptive to the manifold voices of nature in all their variety. Such an evolution of science involves the development of human capacities through which we discover ourselves in nature and nature in ourselves. This enables us to rise above both materialism and the temptation to treat natural phenomena merely as occasions for manipulation. Building on the achievements of both organizations and the synergies of collaboration, the Association aims to strengthen the foundations of holistic knowing and to expand its reach into broader culture.
The Myrin Institute, the original publisher of Orion, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1953 by H. A. W. Myrin, an international businessman and humanitarian, and Franz E. Winkler, a physician and author. It began as a forum in which scientists, educators, political leaders, economists, and religious leaders could exchange views on matters of current interest and offer constructive criticism of each others’ initiatives. Its current activities are rooted in the belief that “a genuine reconciliation of the modern scientific attitude with a spiritual world concept is by far the most essential need of modern man. Such a reconciliation will open the way for a philosophy of human freedom which is the safest protection against destructive ideologies and our only valid hope for lasting peace.”
The Evolving Science Association will, among other things, pursue the development of publications, conferences, fundamental research, and the training of young researchers. Program decisions will be made by the four members of the Association. The members from the Myrin Institute are George Russell, an emeritus professor of biology with 45 years of teaching experience at Adelphi University on Long Island, New York, and Mark Gardner, an independent researcher and student of the history and philosophy of science. The Nature Institute is represented by its director, Craig Holdrege, and senior researcher Stephen L. Talbott.