The Extended Circle: An Anthology of Humane Thought

Stressing the connection between our behaviour towards each other, and our treatment of non-human species, the selections in this sourcebook uphold the conviction that no solution to the problem of human violence is possible until we accept the underlying unity of life, and what this unity, this kinship, demands of the human species. They explore the environmental conscience, making the case for a more holistic compassion and for more educational systems. At the same time they make a case for acknowledging the rights of other creatures, irrespective of consequential benefit to ourselves. Addison, Browning, da Vinci, Dostoevsky, Gandhi, Hardy, Murdoch, Sagan, Schweitzer, Shaw, Thoreau, Tolstoy, Wordsworth and Zola are among those people quoted. The book is suitable for the general reader as well as for students and teachers of humane education.