Kwame Anthony Appiah, philosopher and writer, discusses the challenges of living in a cosmopolitan world. They explore topics such as the implications of cosmopolitanism on immigration, responsibility and risks, appreciating differences, and the importance of emotional responses and solidarity.
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Quick takeaways
Cosmopolitanism combines moral responsibility for all humans with celebrating diversity.
Cosmopolitanism recognizes the importance of partiality and personal connections to specific groups.
Solidarity in a diverse society comes from finding common ground while respecting and appreciating differences.
Deep dives
Cosmopolitanism: Universality and Difference
Cosmopolitanism is based on two key ideas: the moral responsibility for all human beings and the celebration of diversity. Cosmopolitanism holds that everyone has a moral duty towards one another and that no human being is morally irrelevant. However, it also recognizes and respects the right for individuals and cultures to be different. The beauty of cosmopolitanism lies in the acceptance and celebration of these differences, as it enriches our world and fosters understanding.
Concerns about Cosmopolitanism and Partiality
A common misunderstanding about cosmopolitanism is that it requires complete impartiality, which would undermine personal preferences and connections to specific groups. However, cosmopolitanism recognizes the importance of partiality, where individuals can have preferences and attachments to their own families, communities, and countries. In fact, having a sense of belonging and connection to others is crucial for a functioning society. It is reasonable to prioritize the well-being of your own community, while still upholding basic moral responsibilities towards others.
Solidarity and Diversity in a Cosmopolitan Society
A diverse society can generate solidarity when individuals find common ground and recognize the interests of others, while respecting and appreciating differences. Solidarity is not about sameness, but about working together for the betterment of all members of the society. While diversity can create challenges, such as economic and social tensions, it is important to address the concerns of those who feel threatened by diversity through policies that support and protect all members of society. In order to build a more cohesive and inclusive society, it is essential to foster a sense of solidarity that transcends identity boundaries.
The Importance of Embracing Diversity and Immigration
The podcast episode emphasizes the value of diversity and immigration in the United States. The speaker highlights that diversity brings strength to the country in various ways, such as economic growth, technological innovation, and cultural richness. The episode argues against the idea of a homogenous society based on Christian, white, and conservative values, pointing out that immigration and diversity have been fundamental to the success of the United States. It poses the question of when difference should be appreciated and respected and when it should be challenged, but ultimately asserts that conversation and respectful dialogue are crucial for societal progress.
The Challenges of Globalization and Moral Evolution
The podcast delves into the challenges of living in a global and interconnected world. It acknowledges the inherent difficulty in reconciling our evolutionary psychology, which evolved in small tribal groups, with the demands of a global society. The speaker discusses the need to upgrade our moral 'hardware' to adapt to this new reality. The conversation explores the importance of moral emotions and the role they play in societal cohesion. It emphasizes the importance of respectful conversation across differences to better understand and challenge our own beliefs. The episode concludes by addressing the ethical dilemmas faced by individuals working in morally challenging environments, such as the tension between fulfilling professional obligations and being complicit in actions they disagree with.
Few words are as reviled in American politics as “cosmopolitan.” The term invokes sneering, urban, elite condescension. It’s those smug cosmopolitans who led to Donald Trump’s election. It’s those rootless cosmopolitans who’re shipping jobs overseas with no thought for their home communities. Cosmopolitans. Ick. Kwame Anthony Appiah is a British-born Ghanaian-American philosopher at New York University, as well the writer of the New York Times Magazine’s “Ethicist” column. He’s also the author of the wonderful book Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers. And this is a conversation I’ve been wanting to have with him for a long time. “For most of human history, we were born into small societies of a few score people, bands of hunters and gatherers, and would see, on a typical day, only people we had known most of our lives,” Appiah writes. “Everything our long-ago ancestors ate or wore, every tool they used, every shrine at which they worshipped, was made within that group. Their knowledge came from their ancestors or from their own experiences. That is the world that shaped us, the world in which our nature was formed.”“Now, if I walk down New York’s Fifth Avenue on an ordinary day, I will have within sight more human beings than most of those prehistoric hunter-gatherers saw in a lifetime.”This, Appiah says, is the challenge we face today: how to live in a world much larger and more diverse than the one we were built for. The answer, he argues, is an ethic of cosmopolitanism — an ethic that honors our moral obligations to each other even as we recognize and respect the differences between us.In this podcast, we dive deep into Appiah’s philosophy of cosmopolitanism. What do we owe a Syrian refugee? How much more should the lives of our neighbors mean to us than the lives of those in foreign lands? When is difference something to be celebrated, and when is it something to be battled? And how did the term “cosmopolitan” become such a slur anyway?We also discuss the controversy in philosophy circles over Rebecca Tuvel’s essay on “transracial” identity, what Appiah has learned as the Ethicist, the moral quandary facing Trump staffers who want to make things better from the inside but realize that means becoming complicit in what’s done, and more. Enjoy!Books:The Philosophy of 'As If' by Hans VaihingerThings Fall Apart by Chinua AchebeAny anthology of Thomas Hardy’s poems
