On Cosmopolitanism

The essence of cosmopolitanism holds promises for the future of humankind. According to Prof Thomas Pogge (1992, pp. 48-49):

Three elements are shared by all cosmopolitan positions. First, individualism: the ultimate units of concern are human beings, or persons – rather than, say, family lines, tribes, ethnic, cultural, or religious communities, nations, or states. The latter may be units of concern only indirectly, in virtue of their individual members or citizens. Second, universality: the status of ultimate unit of concern attaches to every living human being equally – not merely to some subset, such as men, aristocrats, Aryans, whites, or Muslims. Third, generality: this special status has global force. Persons are ultimate units of concern for everyone – not only for their compatriots, fellow religionists, or suchlike.

Cosmopolitanism resonates around the individual in a way that provincialism and nationalism do not.

Reference: Pogge, T (1992), "Cosmopolitanism and Sovereignty," Ethics, 103(1), 48-75.

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