Browsing by Author "Barborich, A.L."

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Ethics and the environment: Cultural metaphysics and cross-cultural dialogue
(Faculty of Humanities, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Barborich, A.L.
Our environment is saturated in the English language and “western” culture due to globalisation. However, the accompanying western philosophical concepts can be contested, even resisted, in different cultural contexts. The philosophical ideas associated with the Anglosphere are rooted in the cultural, economic, religious and social traditions of broader Anglo-European, or western culture and are decontested ideologically within that culture. The contestation of western ideology is beneficial for global culture, but this aspect of cross-cultural dialogue is often neglected in South Asia where English language learning and other development strategies result in the internalisation of Anglo-European culture and norms. This study contrasts the philosophical underpinnings of ethics and relations to the environment in South Asia and the west. The frameworks underlying these systems of thought are more profound than cultural hegemony or even philosophical world view, instead consisting of entirely different cultural metaphysics. These profound differences can result in conceptual misunderstandings that can only be resolved by dialogue, both internal and external. The aim of this study is to examine ethical and environmental theories from both perspectives and show how this cross-cultural dialogue can allow for uniquely South Asian solutions to environmental problems.
The Ethics of Elephant Tourism with a View to Increasing the Welfare of the Elephants and People of Sri Lanka
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Barborich, A.L.
Elephant tourism in general presents many ethical challenges related to animal rights and / or the duty of humans to animals. These ethical dilemmas are further complicated by the endangered status of many elephant species and the economically alluring trade in elephant tourism. Sri Lanka is uniquely placed to benefit from its elephants and elephant tourism may benefit from the long association between elephants and man in Sri Lankan culture. This cultural affinity, even reverence for elephants, can be helpful in designing measures to create ethical elephant tourism in Sri Lanka. However, the realities of Sri Lanka being a developing country, increased Human Elephant Conflict (HEC), Sri Lanka’s underfunded wildlife conservation resources and unregulated land development mean that the ethical considerations of elephant tourism are often neglected. This paper attempts to determine what an ideal elephant management programme would consist of in Sri Lanka and where the current situation falls short of this ideal. This evaluation must necessarily consider the welfare of both wild and domesticated elephants and the impact of any newly proposed measures on the people and institutions who are involved in managing both types of elephants. Elephant tourism operates at the nexus of ethics, economics and Sri Lankan culture. For this reason any approach to elephant management and conservation must be holistic in order to determine the best and most pragmatic approach to the creation of ethical elephant tourism in Sri Lanka.