Reddit reviews Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (Issues of Our Time)

The ethicist Kwame Anthony Appiah identifies the two most basic general principles of what he calls a "Cosmopolitan" morality, though he really means any modern morality worth taking seriously: (1) all people matter, and (2) it's OK to be different.

These are the principles that cause us to value multiculturalism. If you don't agree with (1) or (2) above, it's going to be very hard to change your view here.

This doesn't mean we can't--as a society--pass judgement on ideas that violate these two principles. And it doesn't mean we can't--as individuals--show preference for some people or some lifestyles. But it does mean that we should value a society that, on the largest scale, allows all people to live the kinds of lives they want.

For practical reasons (not to mention for the sake of kindness and humility), we should withhold judgement about other ways of life unless absolutely compelled not to.

I really enjoyed this thread and the civil discussion.

For me, how I understood it is atheism can be thought of as an empty container in which you fill with your own personal values (I consider myself influenced by Cosmpolitanism).


Because atheism is simply defined by what it is not (I don't believe in god) rather than what it is (a set of values), it is thus absurd to call us "Fundamentalist atheists". It's simply a comical contradiction of terms. If anything, atheism celebrates the diversity and threads within itself rather than pressures others to conform to the 'correct' atheism. This is why it's not proper to classify it as an -ism.

I think Fry recognizes that religion has the potential to give individuals a sense of belonging, community and identity, thus participants willingly sacrifice some responsibilities and obligations to religion for that sense of membership. This is fine. The moment of objection, however, is when the power of church or religion supersedes Individual Rights of choice, freedom and self-discovery. One should freely choice a set of beliefs such as a church, but should also be allowed to leave anytime without threats.

Shoot me a PM and I'll send you an email address you can send it to, if you're comfortable with that. It'll probably be the best way to send me your thesis. Or, upload it into dropbox to share. I should state: some advisors do push students to guard your thesis carefully. If you're on your way to a Ph D or reworking the material for publication, I would be careful of distribution. I'm an American Labor historian, my studies in cosmopolitanism are not yet professional, but one of curiosity.

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I assume you've read this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Cosmopolitanism-Ethics-World-Strangers-Issues/dp/039332933X

Kwame Anthony Appiah's Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers

If not, it is an absolute must. Appiah makes an argument for westerners to be able to hold a cosmopolitan worldview all the while rejecting imperialism. It's a fine line to walk. I would think if you're making the claim of cosmo + nationalism you would need this as a foundational text. The next step would be to state that a given place, i would think, can hold a standard of values/beliefs cohesively (a nation) and that can be valued by the individual, all the while a global/cosmopolitan set of values can be held for an international cohesion. Appiah belies certain Marxist tendencies and Socialist critique of capitalism. While he doesn't explicitly state he is a Marxist Cosmopolitan, he's close, and at least his enemies would likely label him as such.

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Few Marxists, in my experience, the single best text is Gilbert Achcar's Marxism, Orientalism, Cosmopolitanism. It's a collection of Achcar's essays, the last of which is titled Marxism and Cosmopolitanism.

https://www.amazon.com/Marxism-Orientalism-Cosmopolitanism-Gilbert-Achcar/dp/1608463648/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=marxism+orientalism+cosmopolitanism&qid=1564057114&s=books&sr=1-1

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I hope this helps illuminate your journey!

You should read the book [Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers] (http://www.amazon.com/Cosmopolitanism-Ethics-World-Strangers-Issues/dp/039332933X) by A.K. Appiah, an ethics specialist at Princeton (or is he at Columbia now?), the reason being that your understanding of the term multiculturalism is confused, and the exercise of organizing the multiple ideas and questions you have in some systematic way will certainly clear up some of your concerns. The part of Appiah's book that doesn't deal with terminology will give you something to think about in regards to questions that aren't answered by filing, and then you can come back and ask a more precise question on CMV.