Spirit Unleashed: Reimagining Human-Animal Relations

In Spirit Unleashed, Anne Benvenuti uses analysis of real encounters with wild animals to take us on an intellectual tour of our thinking about animals by way of biological sciences, scientific psychology, philosophy, and theology to show that we have been wrong in our understanding of ourselves amongst other animals. The good news is that we can correct our course and make ourselves happier in the process. Drawing us into encounters with a desert rattlesnake, an offended bonobo, an injured fawn, a curious whale, a determined woodpecker, and others, she gives us a glimpse of their souls. Benvenuti strongly makes the case that to change the way we think about animals--and our way of relating to them--holds the possibility of changing all life on Earth for the better.

Anne Benvenuti is a professor of psychology and philosophy, a licensed psychologist, an interdisciplinary scholar, and a priest of the Episcopal Church. Her scholarly work focuses on models of natural spirituality that are both scientifically grounded and accessible from religious perspectives. She is engaged in social policy work as a member of the UN NGO Committee for Mental Health and is a Trustee and UN Representative for the Parliament of the Worlds’ Religions. She is also a published poet and naturalist.