The Dialogue of Cultures, Religions and Legal Systems: an Imperative Need of Our Times
Working Paper 2007/2
Judge C. G. Weeramantry
Dwindling earth resources, instant electronic communication, burgeoning international travel and an increasing world population are among the facts forcing on us the realisation that we are one global family sharing a common planetary home. Yet despite this interconnectedness, humanity remains a community torn apart with divisions, splintered into groups and festering with resentments, misunderstanding and hatreds.
The author calls for urgent international attention towards key areas: increasing dialogue between cultures, civilisations and religions; seeking the enormous areas of confluence of cultures in place of current preoccupations with a possible clash of civilisations; infusing educational systems with cross cultural perspectives; breaking down the formalism of law by reference to the broader principles lying behind legal systems; accentuating traditional concepts of duty, trusteeship and community as opposed to the modern concentration on rights, ownership and the individual; and drawing together the wisdom of all religions and infusing this wisdom into international law.
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