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The Heart of the Wild: Essays on Nature, Conservation, and the Human Future
Timely and provocative reflections on the future of the wild in an increasingly human world
The Heart of the Wild brings together some of today’s leading scientists, humanists, and nature writers to offer a thought-provoking meditation on the urgency of learning about and experiencing our wild places in an age of rapidly expanding human impacts.
These engaging essays present nuanced and often surprising perspectives on the meaning and value of “wildness” amid the realities of the Anthropocene. They consider the trends and forces—from the cultural and conceptual to the ecological and technological—that are transforming our relationship with the natural world and sometimes seem only to be pulling us farther away from wild places and species with each passing day. The contributors make impassioned defenses of naturalism, natural history, and nature education in helping us to rediscover a love for the wild at a time when our connections with it have frayed or been lost altogether.
Charting a new path forward in an era of ecological uncertainty, The Heart of the Wild reframes our understanding of nature and our responsibility to learn from and sustain it as the human footprint sinks ever deeper into the landscapes around us.
With contributions by Bill Adams, Joel Berger, Susan Clayton, Eileen Crist, Martha L. Crump, Thomas Lowe Fleischner, Harry W. Greene, Hal Herzog, Jonathan B. Losos, Emma Marris, Ben A. Minteer, Kathleen Dean Moore, Gary Paul Nabhan, Peter H. Raven, Christopher J. Schell, Richard Shine, and Kyle Whyte.
The Heart of the Wild brings together some of today’s leading scientists, humanists, and nature writers to offer a thought-provoking meditation on the urgency of learning about and experiencing our wild places in an age of rapidly expanding human impacts.
These engaging essays present nuanced and often surprising perspectives on the meaning and value of “wildness” amid the realities of the Anthropocene. They consider the trends and forces—from the cultural and conceptual to the ecological and technological—that are transforming our relationship with the natural world and sometimes seem only to be pulling us farther away from wild places and species with each passing day. The contributors make impassioned defenses of naturalism, natural history, and nature education in helping us to rediscover a love for the wild at a time when our connections with it have frayed or been lost altogether.
Charting a new path forward in an era of ecological uncertainty, The Heart of the Wild reframes our understanding of nature and our responsibility to learn from and sustain it as the human footprint sinks ever deeper into the landscapes around us.
With contributions by Bill Adams, Joel Berger, Susan Clayton, Eileen Crist, Martha L. Crump, Thomas Lowe Fleischner, Harry W. Greene, Hal Herzog, Jonathan B. Losos, Emma Marris, Ben A. Minteer, Kathleen Dean Moore, Gary Paul Nabhan, Peter H. Raven, Christopher J. Schell, Richard Shine, and Kyle Whyte.
- GenresEnvironment
280 pages, Hardcover
Published August 13, 2024
About the author
Ben A. Minteer
14 books3 followersBen A. Minteer writes about conservation, the wild, zoos, and the evolution of American environmental thought. His current work explores the wilderness idea and its expression in landscape photography, from Carleton Watkins and Ansel Adams to the present day.
Ben is a professor of environmental ethics and conservation in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University in Tempe, where he also holds the Arizona Zoological Society Endowed Chair. At ASU, he teaches a set of undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental ethics and the history and philosophy of conservation.
Ben is a professor of environmental ethics and conservation in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University in Tempe, where he also holds the Arizona Zoological Society Endowed Chair. At ASU, he teaches a set of undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental ethics and the history and philosophy of conservation.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 23, 2026
4.5 rounded up for goodreads. i love that this book focused on humans and the (so-called) wild with a focus on natural history and education and suggestions to “share land” instead of simply “spare land.” definitely enjoyed some essays and writing styles more than others, but overall found this to be a very well curated collection :)
February 10, 2025
An intriguing and at times provocative collection of essays. As in any anthology, I enjoyed some essays far more than others. For my tastes, those that told stories like Gary Paul Nabhan, Emma Marris and Joel Berger grabbed my attention. However, even those that were more philosophical in nature, were at times intriguing.
All of these essays wrestled with what is “wild” and how to keep it alive in a thoroughly human dominated world. I have to admit, my ideas of wild are varied as I can see the importance of vast connected networks comprised of great chunks of wild lands as well as the wild creatures who visit the native wildflowers in my suburban yard. Recently, watching a bobcat, tawny and at ease as it slinked across my brother-in-law’s Colorado backyard, a bit of wild along a creek, was like a tonic for the staid surroundings. I think we need to support wild places and creatures wherever they may be found and create many more such places if we are to have a future on this planet.
All of these essays wrestled with what is “wild” and how to keep it alive in a thoroughly human dominated world. I have to admit, my ideas of wild are varied as I can see the importance of vast connected networks comprised of great chunks of wild lands as well as the wild creatures who visit the native wildflowers in my suburban yard. Recently, watching a bobcat, tawny and at ease as it slinked across my brother-in-law’s Colorado backyard, a bit of wild along a creek, was like a tonic for the staid surroundings. I think we need to support wild places and creatures wherever they may be found and create many more such places if we are to have a future on this planet.
March 10, 2026
I have not read every essay in this book, so will have to go through it again. But I can say that it is a powerful, meaningful collection of thoughtful, insightful, writings about nature. Well organized with many well-known authors. Enjoy!
July 21, 2025
2.5 stars rounded up: Not a bad primer, very accessible, but lacks the depth of others (e.g., The Great New Wilderness Debate, Uncommon Ground, etc.)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews