Cosmopolitanism in context: an introduction

The aim of my paper is to show the discussion concerning the idea of cosmopolitan society.

Studies in Philosophy and Education, 2010

“… globalization is a set of designs to manage the worldwhile cosmopolitanism is a set of projectstowards planetary conviviality”Walter Mignolo (2002)I am proud to present this Special Issue on Cosmopolitanism in the Making that contains nine cutting edge articles exploring the many faces—pretty and ugly—of a new cosmopolitanism in the making. The term “cosmopolitanism” denotes a vision of the world that sees all humanity as belonging to the same community. The term derives from Greek kosmo politês (‘citizen of the world’) and evokes an image of coming generations holding global citizenships and forms of symbolic capital—a cosmopolitan ethos—that makes them strangers nowhere in the world (Nussbaum 1997). But the fact is that such a reality is yet to come. As an ideal, however, cosmopolitanism expresses the idea that all human beings—regardless of national, religious, cultural, or political affiliation—should be seen as members of the same community, and that this community should be cu ...

Amsterdam Law Forum, 2011

However uncertain I may be and may remain as to whether we can hope for anything better for mankind, this uncertainty cannot detract from the maxim I have adopted, or from the necessity of assuming for practical purposes that human progress is possible. This hope for better times to come, without which an earnest desire to do something useful for the common good would never have inspired the human heart, has always influenced the activities of right-thinking people." -Immanuel Kant, Theory and Practice, p. 89

2014

This essay explores the meaning of cosmopolitanism. Doing so, it first discusses the historical roots and present context of the concept. It then explores four distinct cosmopolitan position — that is, legal cosmopolitanism, social-justice cosmopolitanism, monistic cosmopolitanism, and ethical cosmopolitanism. It indicates that among the four versions of cosmopolitanism, social-justice cosmopolitanism is the most promising one. THE PURPOSE of this essay is to elucidate for a Chinese audience the meaning of the European expression cosmopolitanism. 1 The essay briefly discusses the historical roots and present context of the word and then outlines four distinct cosmopolitan positions that have been defended in Western political thought. The most promising among these positions, and one that I am personally identified with, is social-justice cosmopolitanism. Its basic idea is that social institutions should be designed to be responsive to the equally-weighted needs and interests of all...