Preserving Harmony in Bali: An Environmental Philosophy Approach to Tackling Over-tourism

Abstract

Bali, a beautiful island in the Indonesian archipelago, has been a centre of world tourism for the last few decades. However, the influx of tourists has contributed significantly to the island's economic development; the phenomenon of 'over-tourism' has taken hold and has been in the spotlight in recent years. Over-tourism is characterized by several negative impacts, including environmental degradation, social disruption, and economic instability. This paper attempts to delve deeper into addressing that issue by using ecological epistemology as a foundation for understanding the interconnectedness of the natural and social worlds. It can be used to understand how over-tourism affects the environment, the local community, and the tourism industry. In addition, cybernetic epistemology is a framework for understanding how systems can rethink and adapt to changes. It can be used to understand how the tourism industry can be managed more sustainably. Therefore, in this context, ecological epistemology and cybernetic epistemology can be used to understand and address the issue of over-tourism in Bali. Furthermore, they offer different perspectives and methods that can be used to complement each other. By using both approaches, we can develop more comprehensive and effective solutions to this complex problem, especially in identifying the relevance of Tri Hita Karana's local wisdom in dealing with over-tourism in Bali. Tri Hita Karana is a Balinese philosophy that emphasizes the harmony between humans, nature, and the gods. It could be argued that this local wisdom could be used to help address the challenges of over-tourism in Bali. Another point to consider through cybernetic epistemology is that we can also analyse the obligation of moral beings in protecting the environment, whether Tri Hita Karana is still relevant in over-tourism, how the epistemology of the environment becomes possible in Tri Hita Karana, and how moral action can be done to create harmonisation.