PHI 395 1 - Topics in Philosophy: Cosmopolitanism/Global Citizenship

Cosmopolitanism literally means global citizen. Cosmopolitanism has a vey long history in philosophy, beginning with Diogenes the Cynic who claimed he was a citizen of the world. At its core, cosmopolitanism is about our moral, ethical, and political obligation to one another, specifically the idea that these obligations should not be limited to only our compatriots. In other words, cosmopolitanism challenges national boundaries as the limit of our ethical obligations to one another. Thus, cosmopolitanism is concerned with the relationship between the local and the global, the particular and the universal, the national and the international. A paradigm case of transnational ethical obligations is our shared responsibility to address environmental problems. If our ethical obligations are not limited by national boundaries this also has implications for immigration. In this course we will explore questions such as: What does it mean to be a citizen of the world? Is it possible or desirable to have a global civil society? To what extent do we have moral and political obligations to those in other countries? Are there objective/transnational moral standards (such as human rights)? What is the basis for our common humanity? What would a cosmopolitan education look like? How do we apply the theory of cosmopolitanism to art? What implications does cosmopolitanism have for immigration? (Offered Spring 2020)