O'Gorman, Kevin D.

(2009) Review of 'Philosophical Issues in Tourism: Aspects of Tourism'

By J. Tribe (Ed) Channel View Publications, Bristol (2009). [Review] (In Press)

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PhilosophicalIssuesinTourism(AspectsofTourism)J.Tribe(Ed)ChannelViewPublications,Bristol
(2009).272ppISBN:9781845410964

KevinDOGorman
StrathclydeBusinessSchool,UniversityofStrathclyde,199CathedralStreet,Glasgow
kevin.ogorman@stath.ac.uk

TheeleventhcenturyphilosopherandArchbishopofCanterburyStAnselmwrote,Idonotseekto
understandsothatImaybelieve,butIbelievesothatImayunderstand(AnselmProslogion1545).
Anselmwasassertingthat,fromaphilosophicalstance,nothingisachievedorascertainedbymerely
speculatingfromthesidelines;acertainlevelofcommittedthoughtandinvolvementisnecessary.
Theeditorandauthorsofthisbookhavewrittenanenlightening,refreshingtextwhichexhibitsthat
commitmenttowhichStAnselmrefers.Thetextdoesnotspeculatefromthesidelines,butrather
theauthors,nodoubtduetothecleardirectionoftheeditor,aimtoimmersethemselvesinthe
considerablegapinunderstandingsomeofthephilosophicalissuesthatunderpincontemporary
comprehensionoftourism.

Thetextissubdividedintothreemainsections,eachwithfivechapters,exploring(1)Truth:Reality,
KnowledgeandDisciplines;(2)Beauty:Wellbeing,AestheticsandArt;and(3)Virtue:Ethics,Values
andTheGoodLife.Therefore,throughtheuseofthreeAristoteliantranscendentalentities,truth
(verum)beauty(pulchrum)andvirtue(bonum)Tribeattempts,andsucceeds,inunravellingthe
independentexistenceofthesocialworldthatistourism.Evenfromthatveryshortsummaryofthe
contentsitshouldalreadybeclearthatthisbooksignificantlyadvancestheconceptualand
methodologicalstudyoftourism.

Truth

Thefirstsection,Truth,exploresthefundamentalsofterminology,epistemology,ontology,
disciplinarity,andconceptualisationoftourism.Thefivechaptersstandalone,butalsosplendidly
coalesceasawhole.Thissection,throughacriticalanalysisoftourism,developsAristotlestheoryof
independentexistenceofthesocialworld;somethingexistsapartfromtheconcretething:

If,ontheonehand,thereisnothingapartfromindividualbeings,andtheindividualsare
infiniteinnumber,howisitpossibletogetknowledgeoftheinfiniteindividuals?Forall
thingsthatweknow,weknowinsofarastheyhavesomeunityandidentity,andinsofaras
someattributebelongstothemuniversally.Butifthisisnecessary,andtheremustbe
somethingapartfromtheindividuals,itwillbenecessarythatsomethingexistsapartfrom
theconcretething(AristotleMetaphysics[999a2528]).
Theauthors,ineachoftheirchapters,scrutinisetheprocessoftourismknowledgeproductionand
thenusethatscrutinytoconsiderwhatitmeanstoknow.AsTribeobservesinhisintroduction,
reflectingonthefundamentalsiscriticalinanageinwhichasimpleGooglesearchgives166million
hitsfortourism!InChapter5thereisthereluctantandsomewhatdepressingacceptancethat
howeverinterdisciplinarytheintellectualboundariesofthestudyoftourismmaybe,the
administrativeboundariesplacedaroundthembytheUniversitysystemmayservetorestrictit;we
areleftwiththeuncomfortabletruththatthestudyoftourismhasyettofiteasilywithinacademic
researchassessmentexercises.

TruthbecomesBeauty

Therestorative,transcendental,andaestheticaspectsofbeautyintourismareexplored.Thesection
concludeswithachapterthat,accordingtotheauthor,isapersonal,valueladen,anecdotal
perspectivebasedonexperienceviewofartandtourismhowever,thischaptercausesthereader
toengageinahighlevelofanalyticalreflection.Thesechaptersmayseemavantgardeintourism,
howeverthisphilosophicalviewissupportedbyKant.

InpublishinghisCritiqueofPureReasonKant(1780/1998)causedaCopernicanrevolutionin
philosophy,arguingthattherearewaysofknowingabouttheworldotherthanthroughdirect
observation:tourists,likeeveryoneelse,usetheseallthetime.Kantsviewproposesconsideringnot
howourrepresentationsmaynecessarilyconformtoobjectsassuch,butratherhowobjectsmay
necessarilyconformtoourrepresentations.FromapreCopernicanview,objectsareconsidered
justbythemselves,totallyapartfromanyintrinsiccognitiverelationtoourrepresentations;itis
mysterioushowtheycouldeverbedeterminedapriori.Kanttheorisedthatthingscouldbe
consideredjustasphenomena(objectsofexperience)ratherthannoumena(thingsinthemselves
specifiednegativelyasunknownbeyondourexperience).

Thephenomenonthatistourismistrulyanobjectofexperienceanditisexperiencedbythe
travellerinmanydifferentways.Thismuchweallwouldacknowledge.

InBeautythereisVirtue

Thefinalsectiondisentanglestheconceptofvirtueintourism;virtueinthesenseofmoral
excellence,goodness,andethicsthatexplorerightconductandtheconsiderationofthegoodlife.
Thechaptersexplore:ethicsandtourism;goodactionsintourism;overmoralisationoftourism;the
placeforethicaltourism;andfinallytheendsoftourisminthemselves.

Consecutivechaptersoffertwoslightlydifferentperspectivesonandtranslationsoftheconcept
eudaimonia.Inonechapteritistranslatedastoflourishandtheninthenextonehappinessor
livingwell.Aninitialattemptatelucidationwaslessthansuccessful,asLiddelletal(1996,p.708)
offerthetranslationtobeblessedwithagoodgenius,thussomewhatcompoundingtheconfusion.
Etymologically,eudaimoniaisanabstractnounderivedfromtheadjective,eudaimonwhichcontains
theGreekwordseu(goodorwellbeing)anddaimn(minororguardianspirit);thusitmeansto
livewell,protectedandlookedafterbyabenevolentspirit.However,fromtexts,forexample
AristotlesNicomacheanEthics,(1095a1522)eudaimoniaisdoingandlivingwell,whichis,of
course,flourishing!Despitetheetymology,eudaimoniainClassicalGreekethicsisnormally
independentofanysupernaturalsignificance.So,whohadthecorrecttranslation?Well,theyboth
did!

OnechapterthatstandsoutisButcher(Chapter14)andhispresentationofathoroughlydelightful
criticismandrebuttalofthetediouspreachingbythedisciplesofethicaltourism;heobservesthat
peopleshouldnotbemoralisingaboutourholidays!Nodoubttheproponentsofethicaltourism
wouldhaveevencriticisedRichardBurtonforhisclandestineforaysintoMedinaandMecca.
Refreshingly,Butcheroffersamoderndayequivalentoftheeducationalgrandtour,oreventhe
disguisedexplorer(thecontemporarybusinessman)ratherthanthetraditionalexplorerindisguise,
andremindsusthatweshouldallaspiretothebenefitsthattravel,forwhateverreason,offers.The
finalchapter(Chapter16)endswiththevirtuoushopethattourismitselfwillberemadethus
allowingtourismtohelpremaketheworld.Althoughafutureforethicsintourismisunclear,one
canbuthope,afterall,asAristotle(Poetics9:1451B)observedalikelyimpossibilityisalways
preferabletoanunconvincingpossibility.

(Themissing)One?

Finally,havingexploredandreviewedtruth,beautyandvirtuethereisthetemptationtocomplain
thatthereisnoreferenceinthetexttothefourthtranscendental:One(unum).However,theeditor
hasstrengthenedboththedistinctivenessandintegrityoftheindividualchaptersandthereforethe
bookasaconceptualwholebyresistingthetemptationtotryandbringittogetherinanafterword
thatpresentsanewuniversaltheoryoftourism,allnicelypackagedinthelastchapter.Theabsence
ofthisuniversaltheoryisgratifyingontwocounts.First,itwouldhaveappliedthesame
transcendentalstotourismthattheologiansapplytoGodbut,muchmoreimportantly,itwouldalso
havecloseddownadebatethatneedstoflourish.Thestudyoftourismismultidisciplinaryand
hopefullythiskindofpublicationwillenticetheologians,philosophers,classicalists,historiansanda
widerangeofotherauthorsfromtheirowndisciplinestoexplorethephilosophyoftourism.

Ofcourse,whenreviewinganinnovativeandgroundbreakingbookthereisalwaysthetemptationto
lookformissingtopicswhichareoftentheparticularpenchantsofthereviewer.Indeed,this
reviewerisnodifferent:thehistoryofphilosophyislitteredwithphilosopherswhotreatedthe
travellerdifferently.PlatoinhisLaws(12:952d953e),stratifiedtheprovisionfortravellersinthe
Greekcitystates.StBenedict,ontheotherhand,explicitlycodifiedlargescaleprovisionof
accommodationfortravellersinthemonasticguesthouse,thistimestratifyingitonChristian
religiousontologicalorientation.AlsoShh AbbsIofPersia,fromtheIslamicphilosophical
tradition,establishedacomprehensivesystemofcaravanseraisallacrosshisempireandthroughout
theIslamicworld,providinghospitalityandcarefortravellers,pilgrimsandstrangersalike.Thereis
muchmorethatcanbelearnedfromhowdifferentphilosophiestreatthetourist,travellerand
nomad...Thereisofcoursethedangerthatthistypeofclassicalandreligiousphilosophywould
havemadethetextesotericandpossiblyalienatedreaders.Thesecommentsshouldnotdetractin
anywayfromtheirrefutablefactthattheaimofthebook,tobegintoclosethegapin
understandingsomeofthephilosophicalissuesthatunderpincontemporarycomprehensionof
tourism,emphaticallyhasbeenfulfilled.

Asanafterthought,justasIwasputtingthereviewerscopyonmybookshelf,Iwasamusedand
delightedbytheenigmaticimageonthefrontcoverandleftwonderingiftheeditor,withbotha
senseofhumourandmischievousness,iswaitingtorebutthosecriticswhoaccusehimoftiltingat
windmillswiththisbook.However,althoughthewindmillsinthephotoareinMykonos,the
windmillsofLaManchacometomind,andlikethequestsofMigueldeCervantesDonQuixote,
attemptingtoprovideatruthfulphilosophicalbasefortourismisbothbeautifulandindeedvirtuous.
Thebookisafirmfoundationonwhichtobeginthisquest.

References

ReferencestoclassicaltextsemploythestandardEnglishlanguagecitationsystem:theauthors
name;followedbytheconventionalnameforthework,spelledoutinfullratherthanabbreviated;
andfollowedbyArabicnumeralsthatguidethereadertochapter,paragraph,andline.

Kant,I.(Ed.).(1780/1998).KritikderReinenVernunft.CritiqueofPureReason.Cambridge: Field Code Changed

CambridgeUniversityPress. Formatted: Swedish
Liddell,H.G.,Scott,R.,Jones,H.S.,McKenzie,R.,Thompson,A.A.,&Glare,P.G.W.(1996).Greek (Sweden)
EnglishLexicon:RevisedSupplement.Oxford:ClarendonPress.