Pdf kants theory of cosmopolitanism and hegels critique. Although cosmopolitanism was an issue for greek philosophers before stoicism, this school of philosophy established in athens by 300 b. Stoic cosmopolitanism also inspired kant, whose universalist moral viewpoint becomes the cosmopolitan perspective in his political philosophy and philosophy of history. Kant and stoic cosmopolitanism, the journal of political. Kant s cosmopolitanism, which remains the most complex and influential account, rejects the above assumptions in no uncertain terms.
Rather than saying that people are all passive perceivers observing the world, kant believed that humans are active in. Basedow, rousseau, and cosmopolitan education it argues that both basedow and kant defined cosmopolitan education as nondenominational moral formation or bildung, encompassingin different formsa thin version of moral religion following the core tenets of christianity. Palmer cato institute abstract many critics of increasing freedom of trade and of movement, and the phenomena of cosmopolitanism and globalization that result from such freedom, insist that the consequence of greater trade and movement is a net loss of identity. In 1795 immanuel kant published an essay entitled toward perpetual peace. The practical poverty of concepts by julten abdelhalim travelling for profit is encouraged. Aristotle, stoicism and cosmopolitan political thought a paper presented to a conference on the theme of. The international criminal court should be mentioned here as an innovative form of cosmopolitanism, going much beyond kant s conception of cosmopolitan law. Reprintreissue date 1998 original date 1996 note essays originally prepared for a conference entitled duty, interest, and practical reason.
Marine corps amphibious warfare school in quantico, virginia on april 18, 1995. Introduction to cosmopolitanism in an age of globalization. I was talking with one of my philosophy professors about seneca and my interest in stoicism. Patriotism and cosmopolitanism one world youth club. But is kants claim that there is a duty of apathy really as problematic as it sounds. Louis according to ancient stoics, a polis is a place, a system of human beings, or both of these things,2 and it is a system of human beingsnot just a loose collectionbecause it is put in order by law. But unlike stoic cosmopolitanism, the wider world exists both to be appreciated and to be learned from by the world citizen, not to be renounced in its entirety in favor of a. To what, asks cicero in his offices, are we to look for training in virtue, if not to philosophy. And yet kant argues that we have a duty of apathy, a duty to strive to be without affects affecten and passions leidenschaften. History is replete with examples of thinkers like spinoza, descartes, rousseau, kant, james, who. The icc itself represents an extension of the long trend, in international law, to do away with the principle of the absolute subjection of individuals to the state and strengthen the status of individuals. Two futures of cosmopolitanism by otto spijkers ssrn. I use classical cynicism as the primary example of therapeutic cosmopolitanism.
University of groningen six varieties of cosmopolitanism. University of groningen six varieties of cosmopolitanism in. Moreover, it is a first principle of philosophy that individuals have the right and responsibility to discern truth for themselves. Following the thinking of stoic cosmopolitanism, which went from the stoics, through kant, to secretarygeneral kofi annan, one can say that a.
Abstract many critics of increasing freedom of trade and of movement, and the phenomena of cosmopolitanism and globalization that result from such freedom, insist that the consequence of greater trade and movement is a net loss of identity. Use the link below to share a fulltext version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Globalization, cosmopolitanism, and personal identity tom g. Kant defends moral cosmopolitanism in the 1790s with the claim that all rational beings, ir respective of their r ace, should be regarded as ends in themselves and as lawgiving members of the. A magna carta of all european nations would ensure the protection of na. Kant 22 kantian cosmopolitanism and business practice 24 third cosmopolitanism. The thinker who resuscitates the stoic meaning of cosmopolitanism and who gives the term a new turn such as to make it compatible with the demands of a modern state based on the rule of law is immanuel kant. Is kantian ethics a type of non virtue oriented stoicism.
The term cosmopolitan occurs frequently throughout kant s political writings, often in close proximity to classical citations and references. Is kants idea of imperatives derived from stoicism. Conflict and cosmopolitanism in plato and the stoics. My first instinct is no since kants philosophy is quite distinct from the stoics and not really a derivative work, but i dont fully know what you mean when you use the phrase.
Kants philosophy of history and that of religion cannot merge. David naugle introduction with reference to the western concept of courage, the theologian of culture paul tillich 18861965 once wrote that stoicism is the only real. Children should be made acquainted with their interest in the progress of the world, kant concludes his work on education, so that it may give warmth. Stoicism is a philosophy of personal ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world. Cynic stoic cosmopolitanism urges us to recognize the equal, and unconditional, worth of all human beings, a worth grounded in reason and moral capacity, rather than on traits that depend on fortuitous natural or social arrangements.
Kant s cosmopolitanism falls short of the greek and even the roman stoics with. In essence, the ideal cosmopolitan is a citizen of the world, or universe. The aim is to confront theories of cosmopolitanism and civil. As cotesta tells us in this volume, the merging of these two cultural. Since the end of the cold war and the advent of globalization, interest in cosmopolitanism, with its ideas of global justice and citizenship and the like, has been on the rise. Kants cosmopolitan patriotism 0 university of groningen. Like stoic cosmopolitanism, cultural cosmopolitanism requires a level of detachment from ones own culture and context. Georg cavallar 2014 studies in philosophy and education 33 4. The idea of a cosmopolitan law is therefore not fantastic and overstrained. The kant brought out here turns out to be very different from current mainstream appropriations, which erroneously consider him one of the founding fathers of the new cosmopolitanism. Philosophy among the greeks and romans among the greeks and romans of the classical age philosophy occupied the place taken by religion among ourselves.
Christian cosmopolitanism is as old as the merger with the roman empire, through which stoicism came to be a dominant shaping force in christian ethics. The aim of this paper is to find out what happened to two different variations of cosmopolitan thinking over the course of history. The vision was that nationalism and perpetual conflicts over territory and borderlines would be superseded by european unity, further economic and political integration and the diffusion of democratic principles. Some cosmopolitan patriots are conserva tive and religious. Kants theory of morality is summarized by the categorical imperative. In part, this success can be explained by noting how cosmopolitan the world at. This way of thinking, according to kant, has been largely. Kant and stoic cosmopolitanism kant and stoic cosmopolitanism nussbaum, martha c. Kant and contemporary liberal cosmopolitanism article pdf available in synthesis philosophica 16124. Because joining this stronger form of federation should be a voluntary. Kant had an answer to the question that bridges the gap between two schools of thought rationalism and empiricism. Different views of what constitutes this community may include a focus on moral standards, economic practices, political structures, andor cultural forms.
Between and beyond sociology and political philosophy show all authors. Aristotle, kant, and the stoics, held at the university of pittsburg in march 1994acknowledgments. Oct 25, 2019 the serenity prayer, attributed to the christian theologian reinhold niebuhr 18921971, and published by alcoholics anonymous in several similar forms, could have come straight from the principles of stoicism, as this sidebyside comparison of the serenity prayer and the stoic agenda shows. This is a moderate stoic cosmopolitanism, and empire made the doctrine very. Global age cosmopolitanism 28 globalism and modernity 29. Some comments on cosmopolitanism and europe springerlink. But domestication is the wrong cure, just as radicalism is the wrong diagnosis. One should always behave so as to treat with equal respect the. Recognizing this, his stoic successors held, we should not allow differences of nationality or class or.
Kant and stoic cosmopolitanism journal of political philosophy 5 1997 1. Cosmopolite in ancient greece meant citizen of the world. Kant s perpetual peace is a profound defense of cosmopolitan values. In kants work, we find cosmopolitanism in two domains. Nov 01, 2003 pdf kants theory of cosmopolitan right is widely viewed as the philosophical origin of modern cosmopolitan thought. Stoicism was one of the new philosophical movements of the hellenistic period. Stoic cosmopolitanism and business practice 20 second cosmopolitanism. Six varieties of cosmopolitanism in late eighteenthcentury germany pauline kleingeld in part as a response to the current resurgence of nationalist sentiment in many parts of the world, several authors have recently sought to revive the legacy of cosmopolitanism.
He was followed by cleanthes, then by the wisdom of the stoics. The name stoa derives from the name colorful room stoa polikle, located in athens, in which the stoic school had its center where lectures were conducted. Nov 17, 2017 stoic cosmopolitanism should not be taken to imply that the ideal human society resembles a beehive, where individuality is subsumed for the benefit of the group. I hope and suspect that more people would benefit greatly from these ideas.
Nussbaum, kant and stoic cosmopolitanism, journal of political philosophy, 1997, 5, 1, 125. From political to ethical cosmopolitanism when scholars discuss kant s cosmopolitanism, they typically focus on his political. Martha nussbaum, kant and stoic cosmopolitanism, 5 journal of political philosophy 1 1997. Stoic cosmopolitanism should not be taken to imply that the ideal human society resembles a beehive, where individuality is subsumed for the benefit of the group. First, in one important sense, it is a version of cosmopolitanism that is grounded particularly in the concept of basic human rights, which demarcates it from other versions of cosmopolitan ethics or moral philosophy, e. Is kantian ethics a type of nonvirtue oriented stoicism. Although the word stoic is often used, for most people nowadays the philosophy of the stoics is unknownparticularly that of the early stoa, which differs in a number of respects from that of the. Cosmopolitanism stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Jul 04, 2016 kants own reception of stoicism involves both acknowledgment of its merits and attempts at distancing himself from it. Cosmopolitanism and philosophy in a cosmopolitan sense. Greek stoic and kantian heritages as citizen of the world and engages itself with. Stoicism and cosmopolitanism although the term cosmopolitan, literally, worldcitizen, was used by greeks earlier than the stoic philosophers who started with zeno c. Over 2000 years after antisthenes first used the term, kant theorized cosmopolitanism in a series of seminal essays spanning a 12year period before and after the french revolution. Kants own theory of knowledge reconfigures the way humans know things.
A person who adheres to the idea of cosmopolitanism in any of its forms is called a cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. In his discussion of the idea of a cosmopolitan law, kant evolves the moral philosophy enshrined in stoic thought to a political philosophy complemented by the. Stoicism is definitely a precursor to kant in many respects. Cosmopolitanism will not get a seatat the table with the grown ups unless it accommodates plausibility constraints. But derived from is not a particularly easy to answer question. Providence and divine mercy in kant s ethical cosmopolitanism 1. Nussbaum, kant and stoic cosmopolitanism, journal of political philosophy 5 1997.
The peoples of the earth have thus entered in varying degrees into a universal community, and it has developed to the point where a violation of laws in one part of the world is felt everywhere. Additional note because of the large quantity of her publications and contractual issues, professor nussbaum has posted citations in chicago unbound, rather than fulltext. The first, this publication, is a slightly edited version of two lectures admiral stockdale gave to the students at the u. Paul guyers thoughts on kant as a stoic paul guyer, leading kant philosopher and is considered one of the leading experts who understands immanuel kant, made a very interesting lecture and gave a very brief summation of kant and his contributionsthoughts to stoic philosophy. A brief overview to the stoic philosophy of natural law. On the contrary, the stoics were keen defenders of human freedom and very much valued the independence of individual agents. With kant, we also begin to see that cosmopolitanism and democracy, as embedded in a republican. Its pasts and practices 373 relation between east and west.
This is further complicated by the fact that kant rarely discussed specific passages from stoic texts, and that his knowledge of stoicism is thought to have come mainly from readingroman stoics cicero and seneca. A political state is a union of people under rightful law reiss 1991, p. Endorsed by various cynic and stoic thinkers in antiquity and. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here.
Stoic cosmopolitanism in its various guises was enormously persuasive throughout the grecoroman world. I show how being a cynic cosmopolitan is the preferable way of rejecting nationalists of all stripes. This chapter takes a critical look at the conventional identification of cosmopolitanism with europe. As kant explains in his criticism of stoic ethics, 7. Cultural, moral, and political 37 and one that poses a challenge to such forms of partiality by denying them any value beyond their service to the whole of humanity. Using the work of figures such as fichte, cloots, forster, hegewisch, wieland and novalis, kleingeld analyses kants arguments regarding the relationship between cosmopolitanism and patriotism, the importance of states, the ideal of an international federation, cultural pluralism, race, global economic justice and the psychological feasibility of the cosmopolitan ideal. Moral cosmopolitanism is the view that all human beings are members of a single moral community, and that they have moral obligations to others regardless of their nationality, language, religion, customs, and so on. Nussbaum, kant and stoic cosmopolitanism philpapers. Instead of the universalist humanism and supranational communitarianism that characterizes cosmopolitan options, cynic cosmopolitanism employs extreme naturalism. For both formats the functionality available will depend on how you access the ebook via bookshelf online in your browser or via the bookshelf app on your pc. Chrysippus, the great greek stoic who is the focus of senecas inference. Stoic cosmopolitanism and confucian cosmopolitanism. For the proceedings of the conference cosmopolitan politics.
The stoic invention of cosmopolitan politics1 eric brown department of philosophy washington university in st. Nussbaum, kant and stoic cosmopolitanism, journal of political. According to a number of contemporary philosophers, the moral demands to care for those of the same nationality are not more pressing than the demands to care for those of a different nation, at least in regard to basic needs and rights. The name derives from the porch stoa poikile in the agora at athens decorated with mural paintings, where the members of the school congregated, and their lectures were held.
For those who like it super quick, heres my version of stoicism in a sentence. They conclude that national boundaries have little or no moral relevance. Interpretations of kant usually focus on his legal or political cosmopolitanism, a cluster of ideas revolving. Kants theory of cosmopolitanism and hegels critique. Stoicism is a school of hellenistic philosophy which was founded by zeno of citium, in athens, in the early 3rd century bc. The stoic invention of cosmopolitan politics1 eric. A comparison chen yudan four centuries after the signing of the peace of westphalia, an interstate system with national sovereignty as its fundamental principle, spread from europe into the entire world. See eric brown, stoic cosmopolitanism and the political life ph. Aristotle, stoicism and cosmopolitan political thought. While the nationstate system has always been the core element in practice, reflections of. Russo department of philosophy molloy college show me a man who though sick is happy, though in danger is happy, though dying is happy, though condemned to exile is happy, though in disrepute is happy.
This study examines ethical and political conditions concerning cosmopolitanism, and argues that radical generosity is a key condition for the possibility of cosmopolitanism. Epicureanism is a philosophy which stresses the importance of training ones desires. Globalization, cosmopolitanism, and personal identity. A brief overview to the stoic philosophy of natural law olivera z. Empire beyond single cities paved the way to the emergence of stoic philosophy 300 b. Derrida is eventually forced to recognize that there is at least a considerable tension between his position and that of kant 5357. Stoicism teaches how to keep a calm and rational mind no matter what happens to you and it helps you understand and focus on what you can control and not worry about and accept what you cant control. In the essay, kant argues that it is humankinds immediate duty to solve the problem of violence. The immediate occasion for the essay was the march 1795 signing of the treaty of basel by prussia and revolutionary france, which kant condemned as only the suspension of hostilities, not a peace.
On the contrary, the stoics were keen defenders of human freedom and very. She is a kantian, and made the point that kant is a type of stoic, in that he recognizes the need to act according to reason in ethics rather than be influenced by our emotions. Oct 27, 2019 such cosmopolitan thinking includes others through the creative rationality of cities since peoples choice of a city is influenced by the meanings attached to the city and their sense of belonging. Cosmopolitanism as a potential theoretical solution to the. Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are, or could or should be, members of a single community. The life of the cosmopolitan, who puts right before country, and universal reason before the symbols of national belonging, need not be. Kant and stoic cosmopolitanism nussbaum 1997 journal. Seen both as a symbolic entity with a long, continuous history, and as a set of crossborder institutions, europe may be linked with conventional cosmopolitan ideals of world peace, intercultural tolerance and the global legal regulation of social life. It will be my contention that kantand, through him, seneca, marcus aurelius, and above all cicero present us with a challenge that is at once noble and practical. The stoic philosophy was founded by zeno, a phoenician c.
Cambridge core history of philosophy kant and cosmopolitanism by pauline kleingeld. In the passage below from the book letters from a stoic, seneca, a stoic who appreciated the philosophy of epicureanism, noted the main difference between his stoic school and the school of epicurus. According to kant, all rational beings are members in a single moral community. Jan 22, 20 he names his theory, cosmopolitanism, after the greek, or cosmos which is interpreted as the universe and, or polis, which refers to a city. As explained earlier in this paper, kant links cosmopolitanism with enlightenment and perpetual peace. Selections from seneca, epictetus, and marcus aurelius mises institute. Like todays internationalists, kant asks teachers to promote universal perspectives in their students, educating them in love toward others and feelings of cosmopolitanism. I shall seek to answer this question in the negative by, in sections one to four, investigating kants. They frequently appeal to eighteenthcentury cosmopoli.
In that most iconic of cosmopolitan intellectual texts, immanuel kant s 1 784 essay idea for a universal history from a cosmopolitan point of view, the caveat. The stoics are admired for being the first in the west to have drawn this conclusion. Kant s embedded cosmopolitanism is a valuable source for students of political philosophy and kant s ethics. University of groningen cosmopolitanism kleingeld, pauline. Ethics and politics of cosmopolitanism by ali kashani this inquiry is about the following question. Kant and stoic cosmopolitanism by martha craven nussbaum.