Cosmopolitanism, 1st Day of Research
I gathered some introductory/definition sources on cosmopolitanism, along with some resources that I will delve deeper in the fututre. Next time, I will look at some of the sites that I didn't get to fully explore today, including the GTI list of papers and the paper by Luke that Erika gave me. I will also explore the references to these papers.
Kleingeld, P., & Brown, E. (2002). Cosmopolitanism. Retrieved, November 16, 2006, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmopolitanism/
“The word ‘cosmopolitan’, which derives from the Greek word kosmopolitês (‘citizen of the world’), has been used to describe a wide variety of important views in moral and socio-political philosophy. The nebulous core shared by all cosmopolitan views is the idea that all human beings, regardless of their political affiliation, do (or at least can) belong to a single community, and that this community should be cultivated. Different versions of cosmopolitanism envision this community in different ways, some focusing on political institutions, others on moral norms or relationships, and still others focusing on shared markets or forms of cultural expression. The philosophical interest in cosmopolitanism lies in its challenge to commonly recognized attachments to fellow-citizens, the local state, parochially shared cultures, and the like.”
Wikipedia. (2006). Cosmopolitanism. Retrieved, November 16, 2006, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community. This is contrasted with ideologies of patriotism and nationalism. Cosmopolitanism may or may not entail some sort of world government or it may simply refer to more inclusive moral, economic, and/or political relationships between nations or individuals of different nations.
Philopsophical Cosmopolitanism
Philosophical cosmopolitans are moral universalists: they believe that all humans, and not merely compatriots or fellow-citizens, come under the same moral standards. The boundaries between nations, states, cultures or societies are therefore morally irrelevant.
The cosmopolitan writer Demetrius Klitou argues, in "The Friends and Foes of Human Rights", that cosmopolitanism is a major friend and a necessary element of the human rights movement. Furthermore, Klitou argues that a cosmopolitan "Human identity" is as necessary for the triumph of human rights, as a European identity is for a political European Union. He controversially argues that "This is a major dilemma for the European project. We have a European Union, but no Europeans or a European identity. The same is equally true for human rights. We have human rights, but no Humans or a human identity" (p. 44).
Some philosophers and scholars argue that the objective and subjective conditions arising in today's unique historical moment (e.g., improved communications technology such as cell phones, tv, internet, satellites; space travel and the first images of our fragile planet floating in the vastness of space; global warming and other ecological threats to our collective existence; new global institutions such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, or International Criminal Court; the rise of transnational corporations and integration of markets often termed economic globalization; the emergence of global NGOs and transnational social movements, such as the World Social Forum; and so on) creates a latent potential for the emergence of a cosmopolitan identity as global citizens.[1]
Political and Sociological Cosmopolitanism
Ulrich Beck (b. May 15, 1944) is a sociologist who has posed the new concept of cosmopolitan critical theory in direct opposition to traditional nation-state politics. Nation-state theory sees power relations only between different state actors, and excludes a global economy, or subjugates it to the nation-state model. Cosmopolitanism sees global capital as a possible threat to the nation state and places it within a meta-power game in which global capital, states and civil society are its players.
It is important to mark a distinction between Beck's cosmopolitanism and the idea of a world state. For Beck, imposing a single world order is considered hegemonic at best and ethnocentric at worst. Rather, political and sociological cosmopolitanism rests upon these fundamental foundations:
* "Acknowledging the otherness of those who are culturally different"
* "Acknowledging the otherness of the future"
* "Acknowledging the otherness of nature"
* "Acknowledging the otherness of the object"
* "Acknowledging the otherness of other rationalities"
Cosmopolitanism shares some aspects of universalism – namely the globally acceptable notion of human dignity that must be protected and enshrined in international law. However, the theory deviates in recognising the differences between world cultures. Thus, a "cosmopolitan declaration of human rights" would be defined in terms of negatives that no one could disagree upon. In addition, cosmopolitanism calls for equal protection of the environment and against the negative side effects of technological development.
According to those who follow Beck's reasoning, a cosmopolitan world would consist of a plurality of states, which would use global and regional consensus to gain greater bargaining power against opponents. States would also utilise the power of civil society actors such as Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and consumers to strengthen their legitimacy and enlist the help of investors to pursue a cosmopolitan agenda. Some examples:
* States hand over the global monitoring of human rights and environmental issues to NGOs like Amnesty International and Greenpeace who enjoy a high level of legitimacy in the public sphere.
* States support NGOs to persuade consumers to "divest" from products that break cosmopolitan human and environmental codes.
Other authors imagine a cosmopolitan world moving beyond today's conception of nation-states. These scholars argue that a truly cosmopolitan identity of Global Citizen will take hold, diminishing the importance of national identities. Democratic global institutions, creating the space for global political discourse and decisions, would reinforce the notion of citizenship at a global level. Nested structures of goverance balancing the principles of irreducibility (i.e., the notion that certain problems can only be addressed at the global level, such as Global Warming) and subsidiarity (i.e., the notion that decisions should be made at as local a level possible) would thus form the basis for a cosmopolitan political order.[2]
[edit]
Cosmopolitanism in Practice
The most successful attempts of cosmopolitanism so far are the minor successes of the European Union, such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive which forbids companies from selling products with lead within the EU. As the European market is significant as a whole, this forces companies globally to remove environmentally destructive chemicals from their products. In this way, the EU counters a global risk through regional transnational co-operation which has enough clout so that it cannot be challenged in the courts of the World Bank and the IMF.
Critique of Cosmopolitanism
Some critics of cosmopolitanism suggest that national affiliations are important to persons' identities, and that cosmopolitanism would strip an important component of social fulfillment and belonging from individuals.
Critics of economic cosmopolitanism argue that the economies of nation-states are necessary for an international economy to function, and a single world economy would fail.
Critics of moral cosmopolitanism argue that loyalty is a virtue, and insofar as one does no wrong to people of other nation-states, one's priority should be the people of one's own country. However, they lack compelling arguments as to why the people of one's own country are intrinsically more important than other people.
Wikipedia. (2006). Cosmopolitan. Retrieved, November 16, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitan
The word cosmopolitan describes an environment where many cultures from around the world coexist; or a person whose perspective reflects exposure to a variety of cultures. It may also have the weaker senses of "worldly" or "sophisticated".
The word derives from Greek cosmos (the world) and polis (city). Its sense overlaps to some extent with citizen of the world, implying identification with a world community rather than with only a particular state, nation or people. Indeed, its first recorded usage was by Diogenes the Cynic, who described himself as a "kosmou polites", i.e. "a citizen of the world"; and as such he would seek attachments beyond the local ones, disregarding the importance given to 'accidentally' obtained concepts of gender, place of birth, place of residence and so on.
The word is sometimes misused to mean only "the global", either as a person who is seasoned in ways of the world, or as an adjective, to describe something with a far-reaching impact. However, it is argued by many scholars that a multicultural context, multiculturalism, is a necessity for people to develop a cosmopolitan identity.
Cosmopolitan identity would, as all other identities, be contextual and situated. This might mean that while feeling quite cosmopolitan in a situation, a person could act, for example, as a nationalist in a different context.
The cosmopolitan view is the core of Cosmopolitanism, a socio-political stance or movement which sees all persons in all nations as members of a single global community -- in contrast or conjunction with nationalism.
Beck, U. (2006). Living in the world risk society. Retrieved, November 16, 2006, from http://www.lse.ac.uk
This article is a lecture given by a professor about the current international risks that threaten people’s existence, including terroirism and economic dangers. The author is attacking nationalism and defending globalization.
Great Transition Initiative Paper Series. (2006). Frontiers of a Great Transition: Essays on critical aspects of an alternative global vision and the path forward. Retrieved November, 16, 2006, from http://www.gtinitiative.org/default.asp?action=43
This site contains a list of papers on:
“GTI’s network of 200 participants from 40 countries contributed to the preparation of this series through a general exploration of ideas, thematic working groups, and review. The papers elaborate the global challenge, future visions, and strategic directions. Rather than "blueprints" of the future, they seek to intrigue and engage others in the enterprise of inspiring change beyond the crisis and despair of the day.”
Luke, A. (2004). Teaching after the market: From commodity to cosmopolitanism. Teachers College Record, 106 (7), 1422-1443.
This article I received from Erika. I want to add the notes I made from reading this article and research for some of the references in this paper.
Kleingeld, P., & Brown, E. (2002). Cosmopolitanism. Retrieved, November 16, 2006, from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmopolitanism/
“The word ‘cosmopolitan’, which derives from the Greek word kosmopolitês (‘citizen of the world’), has been used to describe a wide variety of important views in moral and socio-political philosophy. The nebulous core shared by all cosmopolitan views is the idea that all human beings, regardless of their political affiliation, do (or at least can) belong to a single community, and that this community should be cultivated. Different versions of cosmopolitanism envision this community in different ways, some focusing on political institutions, others on moral norms or relationships, and still others focusing on shared markets or forms of cultural expression. The philosophical interest in cosmopolitanism lies in its challenge to commonly recognized attachments to fellow-citizens, the local state, parochially shared cultures, and the like.”
Wikipedia. (2006). Cosmopolitanism. Retrieved, November 16, 2006, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community. This is contrasted with ideologies of patriotism and nationalism. Cosmopolitanism may or may not entail some sort of world government or it may simply refer to more inclusive moral, economic, and/or political relationships between nations or individuals of different nations.
Philopsophical Cosmopolitanism
Philosophical cosmopolitans are moral universalists: they believe that all humans, and not merely compatriots or fellow-citizens, come under the same moral standards. The boundaries between nations, states, cultures or societies are therefore morally irrelevant.
The cosmopolitan writer Demetrius Klitou argues, in "The Friends and Foes of Human Rights", that cosmopolitanism is a major friend and a necessary element of the human rights movement. Furthermore, Klitou argues that a cosmopolitan "Human identity" is as necessary for the triumph of human rights, as a European identity is for a political European Union. He controversially argues that "This is a major dilemma for the European project. We have a European Union, but no Europeans or a European identity. The same is equally true for human rights. We have human rights, but no Humans or a human identity" (p. 44).
Some philosophers and scholars argue that the objective and subjective conditions arising in today's unique historical moment (e.g., improved communications technology such as cell phones, tv, internet, satellites; space travel and the first images of our fragile planet floating in the vastness of space; global warming and other ecological threats to our collective existence; new global institutions such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, or International Criminal Court; the rise of transnational corporations and integration of markets often termed economic globalization; the emergence of global NGOs and transnational social movements, such as the World Social Forum; and so on) creates a latent potential for the emergence of a cosmopolitan identity as global citizens.[1]
Political and Sociological Cosmopolitanism
Ulrich Beck (b. May 15, 1944) is a sociologist who has posed the new concept of cosmopolitan critical theory in direct opposition to traditional nation-state politics. Nation-state theory sees power relations only between different state actors, and excludes a global economy, or subjugates it to the nation-state model. Cosmopolitanism sees global capital as a possible threat to the nation state and places it within a meta-power game in which global capital, states and civil society are its players.
It is important to mark a distinction between Beck's cosmopolitanism and the idea of a world state. For Beck, imposing a single world order is considered hegemonic at best and ethnocentric at worst. Rather, political and sociological cosmopolitanism rests upon these fundamental foundations:
* "Acknowledging the otherness of those who are culturally different"
* "Acknowledging the otherness of the future"
* "Acknowledging the otherness of nature"
* "Acknowledging the otherness of the object"
* "Acknowledging the otherness of other rationalities"
Cosmopolitanism shares some aspects of universalism – namely the globally acceptable notion of human dignity that must be protected and enshrined in international law. However, the theory deviates in recognising the differences between world cultures. Thus, a "cosmopolitan declaration of human rights" would be defined in terms of negatives that no one could disagree upon. In addition, cosmopolitanism calls for equal protection of the environment and against the negative side effects of technological development.
According to those who follow Beck's reasoning, a cosmopolitan world would consist of a plurality of states, which would use global and regional consensus to gain greater bargaining power against opponents. States would also utilise the power of civil society actors such as Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and consumers to strengthen their legitimacy and enlist the help of investors to pursue a cosmopolitan agenda. Some examples:
* States hand over the global monitoring of human rights and environmental issues to NGOs like Amnesty International and Greenpeace who enjoy a high level of legitimacy in the public sphere.
* States support NGOs to persuade consumers to "divest" from products that break cosmopolitan human and environmental codes.
Other authors imagine a cosmopolitan world moving beyond today's conception of nation-states. These scholars argue that a truly cosmopolitan identity of Global Citizen will take hold, diminishing the importance of national identities. Democratic global institutions, creating the space for global political discourse and decisions, would reinforce the notion of citizenship at a global level. Nested structures of goverance balancing the principles of irreducibility (i.e., the notion that certain problems can only be addressed at the global level, such as Global Warming) and subsidiarity (i.e., the notion that decisions should be made at as local a level possible) would thus form the basis for a cosmopolitan political order.[2]
[edit]
Cosmopolitanism in Practice
The most successful attempts of cosmopolitanism so far are the minor successes of the European Union, such as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive which forbids companies from selling products with lead within the EU. As the European market is significant as a whole, this forces companies globally to remove environmentally destructive chemicals from their products. In this way, the EU counters a global risk through regional transnational co-operation which has enough clout so that it cannot be challenged in the courts of the World Bank and the IMF.
Critique of Cosmopolitanism
Some critics of cosmopolitanism suggest that national affiliations are important to persons' identities, and that cosmopolitanism would strip an important component of social fulfillment and belonging from individuals.
Critics of economic cosmopolitanism argue that the economies of nation-states are necessary for an international economy to function, and a single world economy would fail.
Critics of moral cosmopolitanism argue that loyalty is a virtue, and insofar as one does no wrong to people of other nation-states, one's priority should be the people of one's own country. However, they lack compelling arguments as to why the people of one's own country are intrinsically more important than other people.
Wikipedia. (2006). Cosmopolitan. Retrieved, November 16, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitan
The word cosmopolitan describes an environment where many cultures from around the world coexist; or a person whose perspective reflects exposure to a variety of cultures. It may also have the weaker senses of "worldly" or "sophisticated".
The word derives from Greek cosmos (the world) and polis (city). Its sense overlaps to some extent with citizen of the world, implying identification with a world community rather than with only a particular state, nation or people. Indeed, its first recorded usage was by Diogenes the Cynic, who described himself as a "kosmou polites", i.e. "a citizen of the world"; and as such he would seek attachments beyond the local ones, disregarding the importance given to 'accidentally' obtained concepts of gender, place of birth, place of residence and so on.
The word is sometimes misused to mean only "the global", either as a person who is seasoned in ways of the world, or as an adjective, to describe something with a far-reaching impact. However, it is argued by many scholars that a multicultural context, multiculturalism, is a necessity for people to develop a cosmopolitan identity.
Cosmopolitan identity would, as all other identities, be contextual and situated. This might mean that while feeling quite cosmopolitan in a situation, a person could act, for example, as a nationalist in a different context.
The cosmopolitan view is the core of Cosmopolitanism, a socio-political stance or movement which sees all persons in all nations as members of a single global community -- in contrast or conjunction with nationalism.
Beck, U. (2006). Living in the world risk society. Retrieved, November 16, 2006, from http://www.lse.ac.uk
This article is a lecture given by a professor about the current international risks that threaten people’s existence, including terroirism and economic dangers. The author is attacking nationalism and defending globalization.
Great Transition Initiative Paper Series. (2006). Frontiers of a Great Transition: Essays on critical aspects of an alternative global vision and the path forward. Retrieved November, 16, 2006, from http://www.gtinitiative.org/default.asp?action=43
This site contains a list of papers on:
“GTI’s network of 200 participants from 40 countries contributed to the preparation of this series through a general exploration of ideas, thematic working groups, and review. The papers elaborate the global challenge, future visions, and strategic directions. Rather than "blueprints" of the future, they seek to intrigue and engage others in the enterprise of inspiring change beyond the crisis and despair of the day.”
Luke, A. (2004). Teaching after the market: From commodity to cosmopolitanism. Teachers College Record, 106 (7), 1422-1443.
This article I received from Erika. I want to add the notes I made from reading this article and research for some of the references in this paper.
posted by Brad | 7:21 PM
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