The Changing Fortunes of Cosmopolitanism: Demos, Cosmos and

IWM Lectures in Human Sciences

The intense interest in cosmopolitanism in the social and political sciences, cultural and legal studies dates back to the last two decades of the twentieth century. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the reunification of Germany, and the extension of the European Union to east and central European countries formerly under Communist rule, the Kantian cosmopolitan ideal of uniting diverse countries under the rule of law, respect for human rights and the free exchange of goods and services seemed to come alive. By the beginning of the new century, cosmopolitanism had fallen on hard times. This lecture series will defend cosmopolitanism from below by engaging with the postcolonial critiques of Kantian thought, voiced by James Tully, Inez Valdez, Sylvia Wynter and Walter Mignolo.
Thursday 5 October 2023, 18:30 CEST, Kleiner Festsaal, Universität Wien, Universitätsring 1

I. Kantian Cosmopolitanism and its Critics

Cosmopolitanism is a contested legacy: whether one describes Socrates as the first cosmopolitan––kosmopolitēs (“citizen of the world”)––or reserves the term for the cynic, Diogenes Laertius, Marcus Tullius Cicero or Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor, (Appiah 2006) cosmopolitanism begins with a critique of the polis and the civitas in the name of the cosmos, of an ordered reality whose rationality transcends the many and conflicting, and often unjust, nomoi (laws and customs) of the political world. By interpreting cosmopolitanism as “world citizenship,” Kant makes a fundamental contribution to this tradition. By focusing on Kant’s essay on “Perpetual Peace,” Seyla Benhabib defends aspects of Kant’s legacy against liberal nationalisms as well as postmodern and de-colonial criticisms.
George Karamanolis, Associate Professor of Ancient Philosophy and Head of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna, will open the lecture series and give the welcome address.

Please register here: https://civi.iwm.at/content/event-registration-kantian-cosmopolitanism-and-its-critics

A cooperation of:
Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (IWM)
Institut für Kultur- und Sozialanthropologie der Universität Wien
Institut für Philosophie der Universität Wien
Institut für Politikwissenschaft der Universität Wien
Institut für Soziologie der Universität Wien