Name: Reframing Animal Ethics through Indigenous and Epic Wisdom
Start: 2026-07-08T14:00:00+1200
End: 2026-07-08T14:55:00+1200

Reframing Animal Ethics through Indigenous and Epic Wisdom

Wednesday July 8, 2026 2:00pm - 2:55pm NZST

MSB1.02

“Who is truly human—the one who reasons, or the one who recognizes kinship in all life?” This paper rethinks animal ethics by moving beyond dominant Western frameworks such as Sentientism and Biocentrism, which evaluate moral worth through anthropocentric criteria like sentience or biological life. Such models, while influential, neglect relational forms of moral engagement central to non-Western thought. Drawing on Indian Adivasi philosophies—particularly the Gond and Santhal traditions—this study foregrounds a worldview in which humans, animals, and forests exist as interdependent members of a shared moral community. Animals, here are treated as ancestral kin, their protection ensured through ritual, taboos, and negotiated reciprocity. This relational orientation resonates with Mahabharata’s account of Yudhishthira, whose loyalty to a dog surpasses the promise of celestial reward, extending moral concern beyond human boundaries. By integrating epic scripture with Adivasi philosophy, the paper proposes a relational animal ethics that centres co-existence, humility, and attentiveness. It positions interspecies relationships—not rational mastery—as the foundation of ethical life. Such an approach offers a transformative alternative to the alienation of the Anthropocene, framing morality as an ongoing negotiation of kinship with the more-than-human world, where ethical life emerges through care, respect, and shared becoming.

Speakers

Priya Gupta

PhD Candidate and Senior Research Fellow, Department of Philosophy, University of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Priya Gupta is Senior Research Fellow pursuing PhD Research from the Department of Philosophy, University of Lucknow. Her graduation is from Miranda House and post graduation is from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her area of research pertains to Ethics of Animal Use. Through her research... Read More →

Wednesday July 8, 2026 2:00pm - 2:55pm NZST
MSB1.02

Indigenous Philosophy, Remote

AAP 2026 CONFERENCE

Priya Gupta

Attendees (14)

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AAP 2026 CONFERENCE

Priya Gupta

Attendees (14)

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