Some ideas are so easy to practice, but it´s frustrating to see that the easier the way the harder the acceptance.
The Ghanian-British philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah has an optimistic outlook: cosmopolitanism has a chance because of intellectual curiosity and openness. Differences can be easily overcome as long as there is an openness to understand and accept the differences.
Written in the post-9/11 environment, and taking fully into account the new identity challenges, this relatively short book about cosmopolitanisn - that I´ve read in the German translation - goes through a variety of examples, mostly from the literary realm. He sees cosmopolitanism as ´an adventure´ and ´an ideal´ that takes into account the differences as they are, without trying to circumvene them to other universal category than the humanity as such.
Interestingly, by explaining various examples from the religious world, it outlines how the religious universalism may exclude in fact the difference and be insensitive to tolerance.
Although I´ve found that the book does not go beyond the general - optimistic - approaches of the topic, it creates a certain frame for an ideal world where cosmopolitanism is a possibility, a high one. It´s mostly a free choice, but one of the best one can make, in fully knowledge of the intellectual advantages of such a position.
Rating: 4 stars
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