Spiritual Ecology

by Leslie E. Sponsel

A prominent scientist and scholar documents and explains the thoughts, actions, and legacies of spiritual ecology's pioneers from ancient times to the present, demonstrating how the movement may offer the last chance to restore a healthy relationship between humankind and nature.

Genres: Nature, Spirituality, Philosophy, Ecology, Nonfiction, Anthropology

312 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[A. Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one I believe everyone should read, particularly if they are at all interested in the fields of spirituality and/or ecology. Interest in or a previously held belief in the connection between the two is not required; this book will show you the path. This book may have single-handedly ensured that my spiritual journey (and, indeed, my political advocacy journey) will always remain inextricably tied to the Earth. Would highly recommend; the three stars are for writing style and ease of understanding rather than subject matter -- if one does not typically read academic essays or nonfiction literature, there may be a small learning curve.
I also believe that, because the ecological crisis is so overarching and deeply insidious, it can become slightly overwhelming to think about all of this without also discussing action-based advocacy. This book, for that reason, may be supplemented with others such as "Radical Ecology" by Carolyn Merchant. "Spiritual Ecology" gives ecologists a spiritual, almost religious backing, one that is deeply necessary for the impending radical and global shift in understanding of man's relationship with the Earth that is required for the survival of our species (and all others!).

[Andrea Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lively and informative deep dive into the philosophy and history of spiritual ecology. A collection of essays divided into five parts, each chapter is devoted to a specific thinker and/or concept that has played into the evolution and current understanding of this field. The field of deep ecology/spiritual ecology has gained a lot of attention since the publication of this book thanks in no small part to the work of Dr. Sponsel and the researchers and thinkers whose work he highlights here. Overall a great resource for research with lots of jumping off points for further reading.