Friendship with the More than Human World

There is a revolution going on in the world of science that is challenging the mechanistic view of life.  Scientists are increasingly discovering that plants and animals have sophisticated forms of intelligence and many different ways of communicating. Meanwhile, many indigenous cultures have long portrayed the more than human world as having full personhood and agency and being able to 'talk' to humans as well as to their own kind.  

This conversation will draw together those threads and explore questions around new and old ways of understanding non-human beings. We'll explore where the experiences of a Harvard scientist and an African wilderness guide meet. We'll ask how evidence of empathy in animals might change our understandings of rights and ethics. We'll look at how reconciliation is witnessed in the animal kingdom, and where there might be a need for reconciliation between humans and animals. We'll ask about what kinds of awareness might change our experiences in nature.  And we'll explore whether real friendship is possible with the more than human world and what that might mean. 

We'll explore what kincentric leadership looks like in the lives of our speakers. We'll build a bridge between cultures and contexts, and see what lessons we can take into our own lives and practice.