This past week I took two exciting trips. A delegation from Fort Hays State University came to China to evaluate the program here with a member of the Higher Learning Commission, and after that was over I traveled with several FHSU administrators to Xian. Then, the culture team organized a trip for all the foreign teachers to Kaifeng, where I am writing this post. By the end of the trip I will have seen the Terracotta Warriors, a show featuring performances inspired by the Tang Dynasty, the Xian wall, the Xian Bell Tower, the Xian Drum Tower, the Dragon Pagoda, Millennial Park, and the Yellow River. I have also gotten to know my colleagues both at Ft. Hays and SIAS better.
Doubtless there are many reasons why experiencing another culture with someone from your own adds depth to your experience. Encountering another set of practices and beliefs reflects on one’s personal identity, and having another person facilitates that process, hopefully in positive ways. Similarly, societies interested in building a more inclusive world will assist each other in experiencing different cultures. One argument for such a worldview is that a focus on humanity, multiculturalism, and shared values will avoid many of the pitfalls that have previously led to strife. Out of respect for the ways that a more global outlook can help shape things for the better, here are some works that study just that question.
- Adam Knowles, “Hospitality’s Downfall: Kant, Cosmopolitanism, and Refugees,” The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, 2017.
- Benjamin Ramm, “From Kafka to Kissinger: Cosmopolitanism and its Discontents,” Jewish Quarterly, 2017.
- Georg Cavallar, Kant’s Embedded Cosmopolitanism: History, Philosophy, and Education for World Citizens, Berlin: Walter de Gruyte, 2015.
- Stan van Hooft, Cosmopolitanism: A Philosophy for Global Ethics, Routledge, New York, 2014.
- David T. Hansen, “Chasing Butterflies Without a Net: Interpreting Cosmopolitanism,” Studies in Philosophy and Education, March 2010.
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