The Problem with DNA Barcoding:The Whole is More Than its Parts

a commentary by Richard Katz

To know living organisms is to establish a relationship with them; and relationships are only possible by sensing, feeling and thinking beings, not by barcode devices.

A leaf cannot be understood without knowledge of the plant to which it belongs.

The cybernetic model ignores the fact that genetic material is subject to context. It depends upon, as much as determines, the organism and environment in which it operates.

For further discussion of the topic of nature science, please see "The Living Science of Nature," in Calix: International Journal of Flower Essence Therapy Volume 1. The article includes a historical overview of botanical science, contrasting the reductionist approach with the holistic science pioneered by Goethe, using the example of the Pine.