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"The day is coming when a
single carrot freshly observed will set off a revolution."
- Paul Cezanne
 The
poet and scientist Goethe
developed a new approach to science involving a way
of seeing that weds artistic sensibility with exact thinking
and observation. The Nature Institute is inspired by Goethe's
approach, and in its weeklong intensive summer courses aims
to open up this new way of seeing to course participants.
We often view science as a discipline that deals with the
world in cool and distant objectivity, gaining understanding
of the world through experiments and instruments that overcome
human limitations. Goethe wrote provocatively that the human
being is the "best and most exact scientific instrument,"
and he believed that science involves human development:
"If we want to achieve a living
understanding of nature, we must become as flexible and
mobile as nature herself." He saw that we can
transform ourselves to ever better fathom the wisdom and
depths of the world.
 Much
today stands in the way of this transformation. We form
abstract concepts about the world that we take to be more
real than the things themselves. Filled with our own predilections,
we don't perceive carefully how the world actually appears
and how we are interacting with it. And our experience is
increasingly mediated by all sorts of instruments and gadgets,
so we lose faith in our senses and in our ability to judge.
 To
counteract these habits of mind, The Nature Institute's
weeklong intensive summer courses emphasize immediate experience
and practice. Participants practice observation: observation
of natural phenomena, observation of thought processes,
and observation of how we form judgments about the world.
And this observing always involves doing-getting out into
nature and observing and drawing plants; painting elements
of a landscape; drawing geometric forms that "track"
a progression of thought. By weaving together reflection
and observation, taking in and actively creating, science
and art, we bring ourselves into inner movement, and transformation
begins. Our own process of knowing becomes more transparent
and nature shows herself from new sides.
As one participant in the 2003 course stated, "It
is such a gentle Aha! experience for me-a peeling away of
a veil or film that has covered my eyes for years. It again
gives me context and tools for seeing the familiar in a
deeper and more penetrating way."
To read other comments
from summer course participants, click here.
2008 Summer Course at The Nature Institute
The Plant as a Teacher of Living Thinking
June 22 to June 28
Our modern culture cultivates abstract thought that leads to fragmented modes of understanding and interacting with the world. But nature herself is whole and integrated. Can we learn from nature how to think and act in more living, whole ways? Imagine gaining such flexibility of thought that our ideas are no longer rigid, static and object-like, but grow, transform, and when necessary, die away. And as with plant forms, what if our thoughts and actions grew out of a context-sensitive relation to the world we inhabit?
| Morning seminars: |
- Thought exercises in geometric transformations to practice overcoming rigid habits of thought and to lay the groundwork for experiencing plant growth. (Henrike Holdrege)
- Study of plant growth and metamorphosis through concrete examples. (Craig Holdrege)
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| Afternoon activities: |
- Plant-observations in the different environments that surround The Nature Institute.
- Reflections on the qualities of plant-like dynamic thinking, its applications to different realms of life, and its significance for sustainability.
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Daily schedule:
Morning seminars from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Lunch break from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Afternoon activities from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The course begins on Sunday evening, June 22, at 7 p.m. and ends Saturday, June 28, at 12:30 p.m.
Please register by June 1. To print out a registration form, click here.
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 Tuition: $520 (less $30 if you register by May 1)
Tuition includes all materials, as well as morning and afternoon snacks.
Course
Staff:
Craig
Holdrege is a biologist, educator, and the director
of The Nature Institute. About
Craig Holdrege.
Henrike
Holdrege is a mathematician, biologist, and educator and works at The Nature Institute. About
Henrike Holdrege.
Course
Location:
The Nature Institute is located near the hamlet of Harlemville (town of Ghent), New York, and is nestled at the foot of the Taconic Hills. Our neighbors include the 400-acre biodynamic Hawthorne Valley Farm, the Hawthorne Valley School (a K-12 Waldorf school) and the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store. Walking trails wind through forests, wetland areas, and creeksides. Click
here for directions.
Lodging and Meals:
We can refer participants to local families who rent rooms ($25 to $50 per night). Camping at nearby state parks is approximately $15 per night (see below). For a list of motels and bed & breakfasts, click here.
We provide morning and afternoon snacks. Course participants will be responsible for all other meals. The Hawthorne Valley Farm Store is within walking distance and has extensive organic food and deli selections.
Camping:
For reservations and site information go to: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/ or call the New York State Camping Reservation Service: Reserve America (800) 456-2267.
Lake Taghkanic State Park (off the Taconic State Parkway) is the closest and most accessible campground to The Nature Institute. The Taconic State Park, Copake Falls Area is also nearby if the other one is full. Information for both campgrounds can be found on the above website.
To view 2007 Summer Course, click here.
To view 2006 Summer Course, click here.
To view 2005 Summer Course, click here.
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