Craig Holdrege is The Nature Institute's director and spearheaded its founding in 1998. His passion is to develop what Goethe called "delicate empiricism" - an approach that learns from nature how to understand nature and is infused with a cautious and critical awareness of how intentions and habits of mind affect human understanding. His research takes two directions. In the first, he carries out studies of animals and plants that tell the story of these organisms as dynamic and integrated beings within the larger web of life. He has written monographs and many articles of this sort, most of which can be viewed by clicking on the link below.

The comprehensive and holistic understanding of organisms provides the basis for his second area of focus - researching genetics and genetic engineering in relation to the broader context of internal and external ecology of living organisms. In the late 1970s he carried out a project, under the mentorship of biologist Jochen Bockemühl, studying genetic plasticity in groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) and articulating a phenomenological concept of heredity. Since then he has been following developments in genetics and genetic engineering, benefiting greatly from collaboration with molecular biologist Johannes Wirz, which began in the late 1980s. Genetics and the Manipulation of Life: The Forgotten Factor of Context, published in 1996, was one of the first books to emphasize the contextual nature of heredity. Craig has a special interest in making genetic research understandable to the general public, and since the late 1990s has worked together with his Nature Institute colleague, Steve Talbott, to write numerous articles on the topic (see links to publications below) and most recently the book Beyond Biotechnology: The Barren Promise of Genetic Engineering (University of Kentucky Press, 2008). He gives talks and workshops in the U.S. and Europe.

Craig's interest in the relation between human cognition and reality awoke already in high school. He pursued the study of philosophy in college, earning a B.A. from Beloit College. In college his interest in biology grew and after graduation he went to Europe to pursue two years of further studies in philosophy and biology. In 1980 he began his career as a high school biology teacher in Waldorf Schools, working in Germany for 12 years and then in the U.S. for nine years. Since the early 1990s Craig has been involved in teacher training and mentoring high school science teachers. Since the founding of The Nature Institute he has, together with his colleague and wife, Henrike Holdrege, given many courses for adults in a phenomenological and experiential approach to nature study and biology. He is a guest teacher in the MSc in Holistic Science at Schumacher College in the UK. Never tired of learning, Craig is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in sustainability education from Prescott College, Arizona.

To view and access Craig's publications click here

To view a list of Craig's past talks and workshops click here

To view a list of Craig's upcoming talks and workshops click here

Contact at craig@natureinstitute.org

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