Culture and Spirituality as Pathways for Promoting Animal Ethics: A Study of the Principles of Hinduism and Buddhism in Bengal

Abstract

Amid ongoing debates on animal ethics, this study investigates whether the culturally and spiritually grounded values of Bengali traditions provide a more accessible and effective framework than modern abstract ethical theories such as Peter Singer’s utilitarianism and Tom Regan’s animal rights theory, particularly in the context of Bangladesh. While Western ethical theories provide intellectual scholarship and universal principles, their reliance on rational abstraction often renders them detached from the lived realities of culturally embedded societies. Conversely, some Bengali traditions, particularly in Hinduism and Buddhism, grounded in ahimsa (non-violence) and relational ethics, offer a pragmatic, emotionally resonant, and culturally integrated ethical paradigm that is more intuitive and applicable in daily life. To substantiate this hypothesis, a 40-day empirical study involving 17 participants was conducted. In Phase 1, participants were introduced to Western ethical theories and instructed to apply these principles in real-life contexts. In Phase 2, they engaged with the Bengali cultural and spiritual frameworks of Hinduism and Buddhism, including the ahimsa doctrine and other religious teachings emphasizing compassion toward animals. The findings revealed that nearly 80% of participants found cultural and spiritual frameworks to be more comprehensible and practically applicable than the abstract reasoning of Western theories. Furthermore, participants reported natural behavioral shifts toward avoiding harm to animals, attributing this change to a deeper emotional and moral connection made by spiritual teachings. Three core propositions emerge from the analysis. First, ahimsa functions as a pragmatic ethical middle ground, bridging the flexibility of utilitarianism with the moral absolutism of animal rights theory. Second, relational ethics in Bengali Hindu and Buddhist philosophy decenters anthropocentrism, proposing a worldview that emphasizes the interdependence of humans, animals, and the environment. Third, spirituality in Hinduism and Buddhism offers an intrinsically motivating, culturally embedded ethical framework that proves more sustainable and emotionally accessible than abstract philosophical reasoning.

This paper argues that Bengali cultural and spiritual teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism present a more effective, enduring, and culturally congruent model for promoting animal ethics in Bangladesh, where moral frameworks such as ahimsa (non-violence) and relational ethics are genuinely intertwined with spiritual and cultural narratives.