Explain The Appiah Shields A View Of Liberal Cosmopolitanism

Multiculturalism is the process of immigration and globalization of societies in the world. The world is made up of a mix of many nationalities, cultures, groups, orientations, or ideologies. Multiculturalism involves the acknowledgment of the different groups of ethnic people, cultures, and regions as opposed to the accepting an ideology of a single cultural identity or nation. Interculturalism involves the aspects of anthropology, cultural learning, psychology, and communication. It is these factors that cause the conflict and contrast between different generations, ethnic groups from different regions, and different character traits. The evolution of these struggles provides the root of the formation of the humankind in the society. Finally, the concept of transculturalism is the blending of all human culture styles. It involves combining elements of more than one culture. Transculturalism creates history, diversity, and the support to one another in the formulation of various vibrant experiences.

While cosmopolitanism can be viewed as a concise concept, it can also be viewed to have two different strands. The first strand, as Appiah explains, focuses on the obligations we have to one another as universal citizens of the cosmos; obligations that stretch beyond family or local community. The second strand is more intensive stating that not only are we obligated to those whom we share nothing in common with but also find ourselves accountable for knowing other individuals on a more profound level of their practices and belief systems. Yet, while there do exist these two varying strands Appiah also acknowledges that it is not desirable nor probable that as a collective population we want to live under a single model of living. All the while, he briefly states that these two varying strands of the same descending concept may conflict in certain instances. Those who advocate fiercely for the cause of unification and understanding were often mocked for their own hypocritical actions.

Prior to diving into the thoughts and explanations of Appiah, one must become aware that the commonplace definition of Cosmopolitanism is, “belonging to all the world; not limited to just one part of the world.” (dictionary.com) With that being said, the author of Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, defines the idea of cosmopolitanism as this: The success of international exchange is a product of the acknowledgment of different cultures and their viewpoints.

Cosmopolitanism can be described as the formation of a community amongst people with similar social norms, notable afflictions, or cultural expressions, despite varied geographical locations (Brown). These groups of people can communicate through online chatrooms, phone calls, letter-writing, and meeting in person. Douglas Coupland's All Families are Psychotic, depicts this phenomenon through the collective bonding of Janet, Wade, and presumably Ted, who are infected with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), despite their vastly different ways of life and places of residence.

Appiah defines Cosmopolitanism as being conscious that every citizen that belongs to a community among other communities. The writer wanted to remind the reader the value being of conscious that we are part of a bigger community. Appiah main idea in his work was to start having conversations that discuss cultures, beliefs and values to expand our knowledge about other cultures and not having the excuse of marking another culture’s belief right or wrong. He argues that by using Cosmopolitanism we can create a more united community.

Through the lenses of preservationists, culture is authentic, carries traditions that keep historical ancestry alive, and is threatened by “cultural imperialism”. From a cosmopolitan perspective, culture is the freedom of choice, made up of multiple values and ideas that allow individuals to reinvigorate its uniqueness in an ever changing society. In “The Case for Contamination”, published by the New York Times Magazine, Kwame Anthony Appiah addresses the concern regarding the diminishment of cultural identity in poor countries by introducing the idea of cosmopolitanism: being free from cultural preordains and engaging in a pluralist society. Appiah endorses globalization and explains that resisting cultural interconnection will perhaps trap people in a stagnating society and avert it from achieving a pluralistic environment. He claims that cosmopolitanism enables individuals to adopt foreign culture based on how they see fit within their cultural context, and without “structuring the consciousness” and detaching people from traditional beliefs.

The rule of human pride, as a general certification that individuals have the most astounding worth, does not itself have a history, on the grounds that an all inclusive explanation is intended as far as possible neither in space nor in time. Be that as it may, the thought of human nobility has a history in so far as it has been thought to depend on different things and hence been represented in different ways. The expression 'human respect' appears to rise rather gradually from a connection where the expression "poise" is utilized as a part of energy about the significance of human people. 1 But then, inside of the Human Rights convention spilling out of this archive, the term of 'human pride' is always used to express the essential instinct from which human rights continue. It is implied as the fundamental standard whereupon human rights are comprehended to rest. It is said to be characteristic in every last individual, furthermore to be unavoidable.

To look at religious diversity from a global perspective then is to have a respect for others religious values and expression and embracing its differences from our own views. Dr. Miller in one of her slides explains it perfectly in that as diversity professionals we should aim to keep religious distinctions alive and celebrate them and make others feel that their beliefs are distinct and important while not trying to force others to

Multiculturalism is the existence of numerous cultural traditions within a nation, usually considered in terms of the culture related to a native ethnic group and foreigner ethnic groups.

Cosmopolitanism can be apprehended as a personal model that an individual uses to enrich their personal and professional life (Gunesch, 2004). As such cosmopolitanism and international model of education should be adapted in promoting an international mindedness. However, cosmopolitanism should be flexible to allow integration of such a model into the individual cultural or social organization. International mindedness should be adopted in a way that it emphasis and appreciates the culture and origin of the students that go through the program. It should be formulated in such a way that students understand and appreciate its role rather than as a system of

The author argues that the idea of cosmopolitanism is very deeply rooted in Western philosophy and thought. Starting from the antics, it survived the passive medieval times and reappeared in the modern era with improved strength. Although cosmopolitanism represents constantly present answer to important social questions posed in different times, its presence and eminence changed due to and in relation to the character of certain historical period. Cosmopolitan idea was introduced to philosophy by Stoics, in whose writtings very sophisticated accounts of the idea can be found. In ancient Greece’s Stoics (Zeno of Citium, Hierocles) one can find the call for the creation of one same political community (polis) in which all men should live. In Roman Stoicism, the same rational nature of human beings becomes the necessary condition for

At the crux of cosmopolitanism and its Kantian strand, rests the concept of globalisation and its intricate relationship with cosmopolitan thought. There is effectively no dispute that globalisation has played a significant role in the interrelated global system of the modern world. It has developed a distinct structure, but also continues to shape the way in which states communicate and form relationships. Given this intrinsic process as a medium of international regulation in the modern world, it can be asserted that the importance of individual states is diminishing as the connections between them overcome borders (Kleingeld 2006, p. 559). Furthermore, in the globalised world, it is argued that globalisation itself is “the driving force behind contemporary cosmopolitanism” (Pichler 2011, p. 22). This results in ramifications for the conduct of states and their ethical duties as an inclusive community. These ethical duties manifest in many ways creating a diverse system that emerges as a homogenous community. As globalisation plays a key role in the unified association between states, it is also important to recognise that the economic factors of globalisation, including more sophisticated and complex trade schemes motivate states to uphold this cosmopolitan value, but to also reflect individuals within this society. “Global forms of supranational governance and the transnational enhancement of… human rights generate a latent cosmopolitanism in the form of global

The fight for peace and understanding of the common man is an ongoing battle that has gone on throughout the ages. These fights usually happen between different cultures of people, but sometimes it can even happen within cultures. They all have one thing in common, however, they are a result of the misunderstanding of one another as human beings. One of the core principles introduced in Kwane Anthony Appiah’s Cosmopolitanism is the acceptance and understanding of people in different cultures. This book goes into extensive detail about the assimilation, understanding and respect for different cultures and by extension the people that are a part of the culture. The absence of this mutual respect can and will only cause conflict, grief and pain. Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart is subject to an environment that perfectly demonstrates how destructive people can be without this mutual respect for other people, including those that are a part of your own culture. One character in particular, Okagbue Uyanwa, performed practices that would be considered completely taboo or simply insane in today’s American culture. The actions and the role that he plays in the story are both a result of his cultural beliefs and the opposing beliefs of people in different cultures. If Uyanma followed the cosmopolitan way of living the life of his patients and by extension the entire tribe would have been completely different and heavily altered.

In the book Things Fall Apart, there are many instances in which simple values and cosmopolitan ways would have changed the story, likely for the better. Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all humans are in the same community in the form of certain shared morals that we have. The author of Cosmopolitanism, Kwame Appiah, believes that all humans share a certain set of values, including the belief that everybody matters. In the book, there are many unneeded conflicts, and heartless acts. I am going to point out a few events that occur in the story in which cosmopolitanism would have changed the outcome of the situation at hand.

Human rights assume nothing more than sheer 'being human'. Arendt observes that this notion came apart when the world was confronted by stateless people appealing to human rights. She argues that the displacement of people in the interwar period has shown that once they lacked their own government, ''no authority was left to protect them and no institution was willing to guarantee them'' (291-292). It was only by virtue of citizenship that one could be said to have rights. To be deprived of citizenship was therefore identical to a state of rightlessness. What followed from this experience, says Arendt, is insight into the most fundamental human right, namely the right to belong to a political community, a ''right to have rights'' (296-297).