In Dialogue with Nature

As a companion to the article "Beyond Boundaries: Thoughts on a Science of the Living," this episode features a conversation between the authors -- Jon McAlice and Craig Holdrege -- with podcast host John Gouldthorpe. They pick up and develop central themes from the article about the relationships and marvelously complementary distinctions between plants, animals, and humans. This article was originally published in On the Earth We Want to Live and is now available in the Spring 2026 issue of In Context.

This article by emeritus researcher Stephen Talbott, originally published in 2003 (In Context #9), attempts to illuminate what Goethe meant when he said his “intention is to portray rather than to explain.” Steve gives a living characterization of portrayal by comparing and contrasting it to explanation.

This episode should be paired with Craig Holdrege’s audio article “Characterize, Don’t Define.” They provide two distinct, yet complementary, perspectives and expressions of the central practices and goals of The Nature Institute by two of its founders.

In this reading of a short article originally written for Waldorf science teachers, Craig Holdrege provides a concentrated expression of the heart of our work at The Nature Institute: to come to a more living understanding of the world through participatory research and to help others to do the same through transformative education. 

As a companion to the previous episode, which shared a reading of Craig Holdrege's essay "The Trouble With 'Factors'," this episode features a conversation between Craig and podcast host John Gouldthorpe where they delve deeper into the content of Craig's essay and its wider ramifications.

By bringing to clear consciousness our automatic tendency to reduce the world around us to a collection of separate factors, Craig and John help us to become more aware of the scientific concepts we habitually use and the unintended consequences they might have for how we see and interact with the world.

A reading of “The Trouble With 'Factors'" by Craig Holdrege. This article carefully, and thoughtfully, reflects on the tendency of modern scientific investigation to analyze organisms into their component parts and the organism's environment into a myriad of separate factors. How might we see the organism in its wholeness, its natural environment, and its connectedness?

The essay was first published in issue #52 of In Context (Fall 2024).

We have also put out a companion episode where Craig Holdrege and podcast host John Gouldthorpe enter into conversation about the article and the issues raised therein.

In a talk given at the institute in celebration of Earth Day, Craig Holdrege explores in what sense we might speak of the earth itself as alive.

In this reading of the first chapter in Craig Holdrege's book, Seeing the Animal Whole—And Why It Matters, discover how the phlegmatic sloth orchestrates its peculiar existence. 

In this recording of a talk at The Nature Institute in 2024, Jon McAlice shares how trees are in the world and explores our opportunity for kinship with them.

As a companion to the previous episode that shared a reading of Jon McAlice’s and Craig Holdrege’s article on plant intelligence, this episode airs a conversation with Jon, Craig, and podcast host John Gouldthorpe on this complex topic.

A reading of the article “Are Plants Intelligent?” by Craig Holdrege and Jon McAlice (from the Spring 2024 issue of In Context) is featured in this episode. This article is the first to arise out of our current research into the complex topic of assigning intelligence to organisms.