Citizen of the World: Cosmopolitan Ideals for the 21st Century

This is an accessible and thought-provoking survey of cosmopolitan ideals and their increasing relevance to global culture. To be a true cosmopolitan - a citizen of the world first and only secondarily a member of a particular nation - is an ideal that has a long history, dating back to the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, the most illustrious of the Cynic philosophers, in the 3rd century BCE. In this overview of the cosmopolitan ideal, philosopher Peter Kemp argues that, in the 21st century, cosmopolitanism is more relevant than ever before. In fact, he insists that it is the only viable guiding ideal for politics and education in an increasingly interdependent world. Citizen of the World not only presents a brief history of the cosmopolitan ideal - from the Stoic philosophers of the classical period to the Enlightenment of Immanuel Kant, who infused his legal philosophy with cosmopolitan ideals - but also with analysis of our current world situation and how cosmopolitanism can provide the ideas and motivation we need to secure a better future for the entire world.