This is a book of praise and celebration of our relationship with nature. It is a book of discovery and exploration that talks about beholding our natural surroundings. It is a book of appreciation and understanding. Appreciation of nature's patterns as something of great beauty. Understanding of nature's patterns so that we might see how we fit into nature's order.

The purpose of this book is to stimulate enjoyment, exploration, and discovery of order in nature’s patterns and how these patterns interconnect with each other. Our exploration will include an aesthetic and spiritual appreciation of nature as well as an understanding of patterns using analysis and synthesis. Many excellent books have been written about nature's patterns. Some have focused on one distinct way of viewing and analyzing order. Other books have offered a visual sampling of nature's patterns for us to enjoy and study. Some books are spiritual. All are worth examining because each offers distinct perspectives about patterns in nature. Some of the material in this book draws from and occasionally paraphrases or quotes these various sources. The links page and reference notes in the text acknowledge these sources.

This book differs from most other patterns books where a reductionist approach is emphasized. Here, there is a strong emphasis on connectivity between patterns in nature -- the idea that all the properties of a given system (physical, biological, chemical, social, economic, etc.) cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone. As components interact, new (and sometimes unexpected) properties emerge. The effect is synergistic (two plus two equals five).

Nonetheless, the importance of the reductionist's analysis is not lost because holism and reductionism are complementary viewpoints. Both paradigms are needed and utilized to get a proper account of a given system of patterns.

In addition to emphasizing the synthetic approach to understanding patterns in nature, this book also talks about the aesthetics of nature's patterns. Aesthetics is addressed because aesthetic expression of all forms helps in the struggle to make order out of an infinitely varying patterns of nature. Topics such as engaging nature, looking for connecting patterns, and the merging of art and science are discussed.

An appreciation of patterns in nature can involve both art and science. But, some of us are perfectly happy with enjoying the aesthetics in nature while leaving the science alone. And, there are some of us who cannot take that hike into the woods or along the beach without absorbing the beauty of the moment and then searching for some new understanding about why things happen as they do.

This book is dedicated to both kinds of people.

This document is a draft of work in progress. Please post your comments, thoughts, and suggestions:

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