What does PI mean when he says," The obsession with putting ourselves at the center of everything is the bane not only of theologists but also of zoologists

When PI says that quote, he means that the human race perceive themselves as superior at everything. He also uses the technique of anthropomorphism ( to give human traits to animals) to imply that we look past all the idiosyncratic qualities of animals and we decide to give animals the traits of us, the humans.
I don't know if it's good or not, but I hope this helps

To describe a new way of thinking that could be relied on