Cosmopolitanism speaks much more to a person’s character and willingness to see the world with an open mind. Religion seems to be so close-minded to the world around us. Christianity for example puts its theology and its scriptures above all other religions. Worshipping anything other than Christianity’s version of the “True God” is viewed as “idolatry, itself an offense against divine law…” (Appiah 10). But who decides what is true? Cosmopolitanism goes way beyond just religions. It serves to set a model of world wide community that looks beyond race or religion to see everyone as human beings.
Appiah brings the question of truth to light in chapter one of his book. He uses the example of the Catholic and Muslim religions. Each has its own practices, rituals, each believes their form of religion is “True”, and each believes the other is wrong. In contrast cosmopolitans are people who stand back and allow each group to pratice what they believe is true. There are two basic strands associated with cosmopolitism; first they have a high regard for art and literature from many different places. They also are very interested in the lives of the people who created the art and literature. Second they recognize that “…human beings are different and that we can learn from each other’s differences” (Appaih 4). Yet cosmopolitans do not have to agree or even approve with practices of other religions or cultures. Engaging with different religions or cultures has nothing do with approval; it has everything to do with respecting the group’s customs and beliefs. Without the beliefs the acts of a certain group have no meaning.
The main focus of cosmopolitism has to do with culture and how culture changes
over time. In Samuel Scheffler’s essay Conceptions of Cosmopolitanism he discusses the way people influence cultures around the world. He believes that cultures are in constant flux, constantly modifying, updating, and altering. He see this as a, “normal condition of living cultures” (Scheffler 256). This change is needed so the human race can progress. In his view there is no difference between Christians and Muslims or white and black. We are all citizens of the world and such we have an obligation to the world wide community of human beings to except and embrace our differences.
It is important to state that cosmopolitism does not believe that everyone has the right to do as they please just because they believe it is right. Shared values are needed to protect the world from anarchy. The key is to understand each others cultures. This makes for a more cultured society and one that can learn from each other.
Scheffler, Samuel "Conceptions of Cosmopolitanism." Utilitas 11.3 (1999): 255. Religion and Philosophy Collection. EBSCO. Web. 8 Dec. 2009.
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Though I think as well that looking through the eyes of a cosmopolitan is much clearer than those of a fundamentalist, even cosmopolitans aren't completely objective. They bring their own experiences through in their observations, speech, writings, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf not all beliefs are of equal value then would it be correct to say that a cosmopolitan from the United States is different than a cosmopolitan from China, based on the idea that things are valued differently between the two cultures?
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