About the Symposium
Why, despite the continuing work of animal protection, conservation and ecological groups, does the situation for most animals and the natural world continue to go from bad to worse? How have we come to the point where we have entered a Sixth Mass Extinction of species that could ultimately include our own? And why are we humans unable to come to grips with what’s happening and change our behavior? In this ground-breaking two-day symposium, we explore the idea that at the core of our fraught relationship with our fellow animals is the deeply-rooted psychological need to tell ourselves that “I am not an animal!” We talk with leaders in the fields of psychology, ecology, philosophy, humanities, law and advocacy. And we discuss how we can apply their insights to environmental and animal protection efforts. Session Topics Include• Overview: The basic challenges facing our fellow animals and the natural world. • History: The stories we've told ourselves over thousands of years about who we are and who they are. And how those stories have changed. • Viewing Animals: The psychology of why we keep them in zoos. • Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why it's so hard to think straight about other animals. • The Worm at the Core: How the fear of death guides human behavior, and why we need to tell ourselves that "I am not an animal!" • Human Exceptionalism: Why animal protection and environmental efforts continue to fail. • The Law: Why the legal system still views nonhuman animals as “property” with no inherent rights. • Someone, Not Something: A new relationship based on reconciliation and restitution. • Looking Ahead: Where we go from here. About the OrganizersMichael Mountain is the former President of Best Friends Animal Society. Lori Marino is President of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy and of The Whale Sanctuary Project. John Schacke is Director of the Georgia Dolphin Ecology Program, and Faculty Member, University of Georgia. |
RegistrationAlong with the conference sessions, all registrations include breakfast, lunch and all-day snacks. All meals are vegan.
(Student registrants please bring student ID.) Thanks to a small grant, we may be able to offer a discount to seniors and others who may not otherwise be able to attend. |
