Indeed, from the very beginning, Holdrege takes the question of context very seriously. To clarify what is meant by the context, he uses fascinating examples from the plant kingdom and shows how the environment affects development. Organisms are not static objects. Next he takes the reader on a narrowing path that moves into the realm of genetics. Typically, DNA research is not in the context of life.
Plants have their plasticity.
In addition to plasticity, animals also have their behaviors. And as for humans, we must include our thinking and the qualities of the actions performed out of this thinking. In every action I connect myself with the world. The world then carries my imprint in this fundamental way I am responsible for everything I do, whether I am aware of it or not. This is a powerful statement.