Who We Are
Sentient Sanctuary is a community of creatures, human and nonhuman, who are bound together by place and purpose.
Peter Morville, President and Founder
After 30 years as an information architect, started a sanctuary and wrote a novel.
Toffy, Ginsberg, Peppermint, and Eva on their daily afternoon walk.
Claire Morville, Co-Founder
University of Maryland graduate with background in event planning, crisis improv, and user experience.
Thelma is one of our beloved hens. Thelma and Louise (both bantams) fly the coop on a regular basis. We adore our itty bitty chickens and their big personalities!
Anne Lindberg, Director
In addition to serving as Secretary on our Board, Anne is branch manager of the Scottsville Library.
Asha on vacation. Most days, she works as a guardian dog, so our hens stay safe.
Micah Stockwell-Goering, Director
In addition to serving as Treasurer on our Board, Micah is a veterinarian. At home, she fosters basset hounds.
Pip on a walk. An honorary member of the sanctuary, she is Asha’s best frenemy.
Ziggy is our most glorious rooster, and so is Bob, Little Red, Spike, Elvis, and Bruce, and they are all the boss!
Calvin & Hobbes are our first donkeys. They love hugs, walks, and hay. Few can resist those puppy-dog eyes.
Magick is our baby llama. Kikimora is his mama. A baby orphan named Moab is his bestie. Galinda and Elphaba are his pals. They are cuddly and curious.
We recently adopted five llamas, and are fortunate to have our first (awesome) volunteers, but with respect to growth, we are more tortoise than hare. If we move slow and mend beings, our community will be more happy, healthy, and sustainable.
Philosophy
Animals Are People. It’s our firm belief and gentle provocation. Every animal is an individual, a sentient being worthy of love, compassion, and moral status.
Sentience. We don’t know how mind arises from matter. And it’s possible everyone but you is a zombie. But it’s more likely we are all conscious, we all think and feel; from bats to cats to humans, our minds are why we matter.
Gentle Change. Honesty can be cruel. Compassion can be a trap. We must balance both to effect gentle change.
Ends and Means. Gandhi says “there is the same connection between the means and the end as between the seed and the tree.” We sow our seeds with care.
Spectralism. All words are categories. All categories are maps. All maps are traps. To escape false binaries, we use spectra (e.g., consciousness is a continuum).
Philosophy Matters. Philosophy means love of wisdom. Our strongest emotion is in the name. It’s not just what we think but how we feel. And whether we see it or not, the mental models of nature-culture define who we are and what we do. We must each make our own way to wisdom, as none but ourselves can free our minds. Philosophy is for everyone, and now more than ever, it matters a whole awful lot. That’s why we are creating the world’s most philosophical animal sanctuary; it’s our way to save starfish.