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Animals and Misanthropy
by David E. CooperThis engaging volume explores and defends the claim that misanthropy is a justified attitude towards humankind in the light of how human beings both compare with and treat animals. Reflection on differences between humans and animals helps to confirm the misanthropic verdict, while reflection on the moral and other failings manifest in our treatment of animals illuminates what is wrong with this treatment. Human failings, it is argued, are too entrenched to permit optimism about the future of animals, but ways are proposed in which individual people may accommodate to the truth of misanthropy through cultivating mindful, humble and compassionate relationships to animals. Drawing on both Eastern and Western philosophical traditions David E. Cooper offers an original and challenging approach to the complex field of animal ethics.
Animals and Psychedelics: The Natural World and the Instinct to Alter Consciousness
by Giorgio Samorini Rob MontgomeryAn Italian ethnobotanist explores the remarkable propensity of wild animals to seek out and use psychoactive substances. • Throws out behaviorist theories that claim animals have no consciousness. • Offers a completely new understanding of the role psychedelics play in the development of consciousness in all species. • Reveals drug use to be a natural instinct. From caffeine-dependent goats to nectar addicted ants, the animal kingdom offers amazing examples of wild animals and insects seeking out and consuming the psychoactive substances in their environments. Author Giorgio Samorini explores this little-known phenomenon and suggests that, far from being confined to humans, the desire to experience altered states of consciousness is a natural drive shared by all living beings and that animals engage in these behaviors deliberately. Rejecting the Western cultural assumption that using drugs is a negative action or the result of an illness, Samorini opens our eyes to the possibility that beings who consume psychedelics--whether humans or animals--contribute to the evolution of their species by creating entirely new patterns of behavior that eventually will be adopted by other members of that species. The author's fascinating accounts of mushroom-loving reindeer, intoxicated birds, and drunken elephants ensure that readers will never view the animal world in quite the same way again.
Animals and Religion
by Aaron S. Gross Dave Aftandilian Barbara R. AmbrosWhat do animals—other than human animals—have to do with religion? How do our religious ideas about animals affect the lives of real animals in the world? How can we deepen our understanding of both animals and religion by considering them together? Animals and Religion explores how animals have crucially shaped how we understand ourselves, the other living beings around us, and our relationships with them.Through incisive analyses of religious examples from around the world, the original contributions to this volume demonstrate how animals have played key roles in every known religious tradition, whether as sacred beings, symbols, objects of concern, fellow creatures, or religious teachers. And through our religious imagination, ethics, and practices, we have deeply impacted animal lives, whether by domesticating, sacrificing, dominating, eating, refraining from eating, blessing, rescuing, releasing, commemorating, or contemplating them. Drawing primarily on perspectives from religious studies and Christian theology, augmented by cutting-edge work in anthropology, biology, philosophy, and psychology, Animals and Religion offers the reader a richer understanding of who animals are and who we humans are. Do animals have emotions? Do they think or use language? Are they persons? How we answer questions like these affects diverse aspects of religion that shape not only how we relate to other animals, but also how we perceive and misperceive each other along axes of gender, race, and (dis)ability.Accessibly written and thoughtfully argued, Animals and Religion will interest anyone who wants to learn more about animals, religion, and what it means to be a human animal.
Animals and Religion: Animals And Religion In Contemporary Japan
by Aaron S. Gross Dave Aftandilian Barbara R. AmbrosWhat do animals—other than human animals—have to do with religion? How do our religious ideas about animals affect the lives of real animals in the world? How can we deepen our understanding of both animals and religion by considering them together? Animals and Religion explores how animals have crucially shaped how we understand ourselves, the other living beings around us, and our relationships with them. Through incisive analyses of religious examples from around the world, the original contributions to this volume demonstrate how animals have played key roles in every known religious tradition, whether as sacred beings, symbols, objects of concern, fellow creatures, or religious teachers. And through our religious imagination, ethics, and practices, we have deeply impacted animal lives, whether by domesticating, sacrificing, dominating, eating, refraining from eating, blessing, rescuing, releasing, commemorating, or contemplating them. Drawing primarily on perspectives from religious studies and Christian theology, augmented by cutting-edge work in anthropology, biology, philosophy, and psychology, Animals and Religion offers the reader a richer understanding of who animals are and who we humans are. Do animals have emotions? Do they think or use language? Are they persons? How we answer questions like these affects diverse aspects of religion that shape not only how we relate to other animals, but also how we perceive and misperceive each other along axes of gender, race, and (dis)ability. Accessibly written and thoughtfully argued, Animals and Religion will interest anyone who wants to learn more about animals, religion, and what it means to be a human animal.
Animals and the Afterlife: True Stories Of Our Best Friends' Journey Beyond Death
by Kim SheridanKim Sheridan grew up with animals as her constant companions. Each time she faced the death of a beloved pet, along with the pain came the same questions, to which she could find no answers. Then, mysterious things began to happen that she couldn’t explain, which led her on an incredible journey to uncover the truth. <p><p>Along with her own extraordinary experiences, she compiled heartwarming and meaningful true stories of everyday people around the world, and discovered compelling evidence that forever erased her own doubts about an afterlife for animals. This book provides enormous comfort and reassurance to anyone who has ever cherished a pet, and food for thought for anyone who has ever questioned the place of these beloved creatures in the larger scheme of things, both here on Earth and beyond.
Animals and the Afterlife: True Stories of Our Best Friends' Journey Beyond Death
by Kim SheridanPETS/PET LOSS/LIFE AFTER DEATH Do animals have souls? What happens when they die? This book offers some amazing answers... KIM SHERIDAN grew up with animals as her constant companions. Each time she faced the death of a beloved animal, along with the pain came the same questions, to which she could find no answers. Then, mysterious things began to happen which she could not explain. This led her on an incredible journey to uncover the truth. Along with her own extraordinary experiences, she compiled the heartwarming and meaningful true stories of everyday people around the world. She discovered compelling evidence that forever erased her own doubts of an afterlife for animals. Today she is a highly respected and sought after expert on life after death for animals, and her time is devoted not only to animals but to those who are left behind when they pass. Her long-awaited book provides tremendous comfort and reassurance to anyone who has ever loved an animal, and food for thought for anyone who has ever questioned the place of animals in the larger scheme of things, both here on Earth and in the afterlife.
Animals in Islamic Traditions and Muslim Cultures
by Richard FoltzThis book, the first of its kind, surveys Islamic and Muslim attitudes towards animals, and human responsibilities towards them, through Islam's philosophy, literature, mysticism and art.
Animals in Spirit: Our faithful companions' transition to the afterlife
by Penelope SmithFrom a pioneer in the field of interspecies communication for more than forty years, Penelope Smith&’s Animals in Spirit teaches you how to release the feelings of loss and separation that follow the death of a beloved pet and instead stay connected to your pet before, during, and after they cross over the rainbow bridge.Losing an animal companion can be a painful experience, yet by examining their transition from a spiritual perspective, Animals in Spirit explores the process of dying from the viewpoints of both pets and their people. Learn how animals choose their paths in each life and the knowledge they leave behind for their human families. As animals make their way from the physical into the spiritual realm, Animals in Spirit can strengthen the union with our beloved friends by teaching us to accept and understand the full experience of the cycle of life. Our dear pets and companions may be gone from this world, but there is comfort to be had in the knowledge that we can still commune with them and that this is not really goodbye. With true stories, insights from animals and their human friends, as well as meditations to ease the mourning process or help you to communicate with animals in the spirit realm, Animals in Spirit will help heal the feelings of grief and separation by connecting you to your faithful companion in spirit.
Animals in Tillich's Philosophical Theology (The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series)
by Abbey-Anne SmithThis book explores how Paul Tillich’s systematic theology, focusing on the concepts of being and reason can benefit nonhuman animals, while also analysing how taking proper account of nonhuman animals can prove immensely beneficial. The author first explains the body of Tillich’s system, examining reason and revelation, life and the spirit, and history and the kingdom of God. The second section undertakes a critical analysis of Tillichian concepts and their adequacy in relation to nonhuman animals, addressing topics such as Tillich’s concept of ‘technical reason’ and the multidimensional unity of life. The author concludes by discussing the positive concepts in Tillich’s systematic theology with respect to nonhuman animals and creation, including the concept of universal salvation and Tillich’s interpretation of nonhuman animals and the Fall in Genesis.
Animals in the Qur'an
by Sarra TliliThe Islamic tradition has always held animals in high esteem, deserving the same level of consideration as humans. The Qur'an opines that 'there is not an animal in the earth nor a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are people like you'. This fascinating and highly original book examines the status and nature of animals as they are portrayed in the Qur'an and in adjacent exegetical works, in which animals are viewed as spiritual, moral, intelligent and accountable beings. In this way, the study presents a challenge to the prevalent view of man's superiority over animals and suggests new ways of interpreting the Qur'an. By placing the discussion within the context of other religions and their treatment of animals, the book also makes a persuasive case for animal rights from an Islamic perspective.
Animals, Gods and Humans: Changing Attitudes to Animals in Greek, Roman and Early Christian Thought
by Ingvild Saelid GilhusConsulting a wide range of key texts and source material, Animals, Gods and Humans covers 800 years and provides a detailed analysis of early Christian attitudes to, and the position of, animals in Greek and Roman life and thought. Both the pagan and Christian conceptions of animals are rich and multilayered, and Ingvild Sælid Gilhus expertly examines the dominant themes and developments in the conception of animals. Including study of: biographies of figures such as Apollonus of Tyana; natural history; the New Testament via Gnostic texts; the church fathers; and from pagan and Christian criticism of animal sacrifice, to the acts of martyrs, the source material and detailed analysis included in this volume make it a veritable feast of information for all classicists.
Animating the Spirited: Journeys and Transformations
by Tze-yue G. Hu, Masao Yokota and Gyongyi HorvathContributions by Graham Barton, Raz Greenberg, Gyongyi Horvath, Birgitta Hosea, Tze-yue G. Hu, Yin Ker, M. Javad Khajavi, Richard J. Leskosky, Yuk Lan Ng, Giryung Park, Eileen Anastasia Reynolds, Akiko Sugawa-Shimada, Koji Yamamura, Masao Yokota, and Millie Young Getting in touch with a spiritual side is a craving many are unable to express or voice, but readers and viewers seek out this desired connection to something greater through animation, cinema, anime, and art. Animating the Spirited: Journeys and Transformations includes a range of explorations of the meanings of the spirited and spiritual in the diverse, dynamic, and polarized creative environment of the twenty-first century. While animation is at the heart of the book, such related subjects as fine art, comics, children's literature, folklore, religion, and philosophy enrich the discoveries. These interdisciplinary discussions range from theory to practice, within the framework of an ever-changing media landscape. Working on different continents and coming from varying cultural backgrounds, these diverse scholars, artists, curators, and educators demonstrate the insights of the spirited. Authors also size up new dimensions of mental health and related expressions of human living and interactions. While the book recognizes and acknowledges the particularities of the spirited across cultures, it also highlights its universality, demonstrating how it is being studied, researched, comprehended, expressed, and consumed in various parts of the world.
Animism In Rainforest And Tundra
by Vanessa Elisa Grotti Marc Brightman Olga UlturgashevaAmazonia and Siberia, classic regions of shamanism, have long challenged 'western' understandings of man's place in the world. By exploring the social relations between humans and non-human entities credited with human-like personhood (not only animals and plants, but also 'things' such as artifacts, trade items, or mineral resources) from a comparative perspective, this volume offers valuable insights into the constitutions of humanity and personhood characteristic of the two areas. The contributors conducted their ethnographic fieldwork among peoples undergoing transformative processes of their lived environments, such as the depletion of natural resources and migration to urban centers. They describe here fundamental relational modes that are being tested in the face of change, presenting groundbreaking research on personhood and agency in shamanic societies and contributing to our global understanding of social and cultural change and continuity.
Animism and Philosophy of Religion (Palgrave Frontiers in Philosophy of Religion)
by Tiddy SmithMainstream philosophy of religion has persistently failed to engage seriously or critically with animist beliefs and practices. The field that is now called "philosophy of religion" could quite easily be renamed "philosophy of theism" with few lecturers on the subject having to change their lecture notes. It is the aim of this volume to rectify that failure and to present animism as a live option among the plethora of religious worldviews. The volume addresses four major questions: 1. What is this thing called "animism"? 2. Are there any arguments for or against animist belief and practice? 3. What is the relationship between animism, naturalism, and the sciences? And 4. Should we take animism seriously? Animism and Philosophy of Religion is intended to be the first authoritative scholarly volume on the issue of animism and its place in the philosophy of religion. Ambitiously, it aims to act as the cornerstone volume for future work on the subject and as a key text for courses engaging with the subject.
Animism beyond the Soul: Ontology, Reflexivity, and the Making of Anthropological Knowledge (Studies in Social Analysis #6)
by Katherine Swancutt Mireille MazardHow might we envision animism through the lens of the ‘anthropology of anthropology’? The contributors to this volume offer compelling case studies that demonstrate how indigenous animistic practices, concepts, traditions, and ontologies are co-authored in highly reflexive ways by anthropologists and their interlocutors. They explore how native epistemologies, which inform anthropological notions during fieldwork, underpin the dialogues between researchers and their participants. In doing so, the contributors reveal ways in which indigenous thinkers might be influenced by anthropological concepts of the soul and, equally, how they might subtly or dramatically then transform those same concepts within anthropological theory.
Anishinaabe Ways of Knowing and Being (Vitality of Indigenous Religions)
by Lawrence W. GrossVery few studies have examined the worldview of the Anishinaabeg from within the culture itself and none have explored the Anishinaabe worldview in relation to their efforts to maintain their culture in the present-day world. This book fills that gap. Focusing mainly on the Minnesota Anishinaabeg, Lawrence Gross explores how their worldview works to create a holistic way of living. However, as Gross also argues, the Anishinaabeg saw the end of their world early in the 20th century and experienced what he calls 'postapocalypse stress syndrome.' As such, the book further explores how the values engendered by the worldview of the Anishinaabeg are finding expression in the modern world as they seek to rebuild their society.
Ann Judson: A Biography, Including Selections from Her Memoir and Letters
by Sharon JamesPreviously published as My Heart in His Hands, this book is fully revised and updated and is the best modern biography of Ann Judson available. If you only read one biography this year, read Ann Judson: a missionary life for Burma. <p><p> If you re going through trials or suffering you need to read this book and find out that trials are always for a purpose rightly understood they glorify God and build us up in the faith. Sharon James uses the sources carefully to bring Ann (and Adoniram) Judson s piety and hard work for the Lord to our attention, not to venerate them but to challenge us to deeper commitment and service to the Lord.
Ann the Word: The Story of Ann Lee, Female Messiah, Mother of the Shakers, the Woman Clothed with the Sun
by Richard FrancisFrom Publishers Weekly Ann Lee (1736-1784) was an illiterate who left no records of her own, making the biographer's task a challenge. Francis has culled this entertaining profile from public records of Lee's many incarcerations for disorderly conduct (those early Shakers were a loud bunch) and her followers' glowing recollections. Francis dispels some myths about Lee, including the notion that she "founded" the Shaker movement, which had been going for 11 years before she converted in 1758. In 1770, she had a vision in which she saw herself as a Messiah figure, and thereafter assumed spiritual leadership, bringing a small flock of believers to America in 1774. Francis does a fine job of placing early Shakerism within the larger context of the Revolutionary War and gives long-overdue attention to the historical import of the "Dark Day" of 1780. Francis is a fine writer who vividly conjures the religious and social worlds of the 18th century, though his allusions to popular 20th-century entertainments (Monty Python, Stephen King and the movie Groundhog Day) are more distracting than illustrative. The lack of citations of any kind is troublesome in a biography where so much of the "primary" source material was penned long after Lee's death; occasional glitches on Francis's part (e.g., calling the Anglican revivalist George Whitefield a Methodist) also undermine reader confidence. Despite these flaws, this is unquestionably the best and most absorbing biography of the irrepressible Shaker leader.
Anna Finch and the Hired Gun: A Novel
by Kathleen Y'BarboWhen an aspiring reporter and a Pinkerton detective get tangled in Doc Holliday's story-- and each other--sparks can't help but fly. Despite her father's attempts to marry her off, Anna Finch dreams of becoming a reporter. A chance encounter with legendary gunslinger Doc Holliday gives her the opportunity of a lifetime, but Pinkerton agent Jeb Sanders is about to ruin everything. Though her father hired Jeb to keep her out of mischief, Anna's inconvenient attraction to her hired gun only multiplies her troubles. She doesn't realize Jeb has a score to settle with Doc Holliday, or that her association with the famous outlaw will affect more than just her marriage prospects. Between her father's desperation to see her wed and Jeb shadowing her every move, getting the story and fulfilling her journalistic ambition just got far more complicated than she ever imagined.
Anna Karenina (SparkNotes Literature Guide Series)
by SparkNotesAnna Karenina (SparkNotes Literature Guide) by Leo Tolstoy Making the reading experience fun! Created by Harvard students for students everywhere, SparkNotes is a new breed of study guide: smarter, better, faster. Geared to what today's students need to know, SparkNotes provides: chapter-by-chapter analysis explanations of key themes, motifs, and symbols a review quiz and essay topics Lively and accessible, these guides are perfect for late-night studying and writing papers.
Anna Meets Her Match
by Arlene JamesTake one uncontrollable little girl. Add a home infested with bees. Toss in former childhood nemesis Anna Burdett, and what single dad Reeves Leland gets is one big headache! His trio of matchmaking maiden aunts aren't helping matters. Neither is his attraction to Anna, now grown into a beautiful woman. The former wild child soon proves to be the perfect match for Reeves and his willful daughter. Could this reunion spark old memories and new possibilities for a future together?
Anna Mei Cartoon Girl
by Carol A. GrundWhen eleven-year-old Anna Mei, who was adopted from China, moves from Boston to small-town Michigan, she finds herself questioning her identity, family history, and more as she seeks a way to fit in.
Anna Mei, Blessing in Disguise
by Carol A. GrundNow a seventh-grader, Anna Mei is trying to cope with the added pressure of junior high. Add to the mix an annoying "boy genius" Kai Hao Chen from Beijing, who seems to want to invade Anna Mei's happy world, and our heroine finds herself wishing the Chen family would just go back to China. Why is she the only one bugged by Kai; can she find any common ground with him? Perfect for ages 8-12.
Anna Mei, Escape Artist
by Carol A. GrundIn the third book of the series, Anna Mei has settled into her new town and she's found a great group of friends: Danny, Zandra, and Luis. The only hitch is that Danny's acting weird and she can't figure out what's bothering him. But while she pushes to find out what his problem is, Anna Mei does a pretty good job of trying to escape from her own. Anna Mei soon discovers what real life and friendship--are all about. Ages 8-12
Anna and Tranquillo: Catholic Anxiety and Jewish Protest in the Age of Revolutions
by Kenneth StowA historical interpretation of the diary of an eighteenth-century Jewish woman who resisted the efforts of the papal authorities to force her religious conversion After being seized by the papal police in Rome in May 1749, Anna del Monte, a Jew, kept a diary detailing her captors' efforts over the next thirteen days to force her conversion to Catholicism. Anna's powerful chronicle of her ordeal at the hands of authorities of the Roman Catholic Church, originally circulated by her brother Tranquillo in 1793, receives its first English-language translation along with an insightful interpretation by Kenneth Stow of the incident's legal and historical significance. Stow's analysis of Anna's dramatic story of prejudice, injustice, resistance, and survival during her two-week imprisonment in the Roman House of Converts--and her brother's later efforts to protest state-sanctioned, religion-based abuses--provides a detailed view of the separate forces on either side of the struggle between religious and civil law in the years just prior to the massive political and social upheavals in America and Europe.