The Soul of Ecology An ecologist i've been writing to for a few years mentioned a book "Care of the Soul" saying it supported the some of the ideas i've written about. This is a quick review of the book. My starting point is one of scientific skepticism. I was raised in a very puritanical family, rejected these ideas, embraced science and now find myself viewing science as a misused tool. I'm convinced we need more than traditional science to get us past current problems. Some quotes from the book: Tradition teaches that soul lies midway between understanding and unconsciousness, and that its instrument is neither the mind nor the body, but imagination. It is commonplace for writers to point out that we live in a time of deep-division, in which mind is separated from body and spirituality is at odds with materialism. How do we get out of this split? We can't just "think" ourselves through it, because thinking itself is part of the problem. What we need is a way out of dualistic attitudes. We need a third possibility, and that third is the soul. The idea of unconscious reasoning is something i understand and have proven to myself. If we merge this with an appreciation for how much is unknown and the value of imagination, this might be a definition for soul. This isn't exactly what "Care of the Soul" is saying but close. The book goes on quoting lots of people and trying to describe care of the soul. The material was easy reading and the examples are taken from someone with a Christian psychotherapy background. In the end i felt ZEN talks about the same things and is more interesting. For most people i suspect this book would be both useful and interesting. It did open up my mind a little. Care of the Soul by: Thomas Moore 1992
