Do You Agree With Appiah Analysis

The article begins with Appiah describing the scene at the royal palace where festivities are taking place for a traditional festival Wednesday in Kumasi, but the surrounding events are less than typical for an African ritual. Before the king’s arrival, people were on their cellphones and several were engaged in meetings discussing modern topics such as AIDS, education in the 21st century, and the local university’s teaching of science and technology. Appiah explains of the social networks that are built long-distance as part of the norm in today’s society even at traditional events as globalization expands its reach. He goes on to give the example of a family full of boys that lived across the street from him in Ghana, in which several of them are dispersed throughout the world such as London, Japan, Spain, and the U.S. …show more content…
Appiah chalks this example to cosmopolitanism, in which cultural differences are accepted and individuals’ choices are respected and taken seriously. I agree with Appiah as I believe culture should not be limited or constrained to one idea or way of life just because it’s what we’re used to or taught. An individual should be able to choose freely whether to maintain their culture’s authentic ways or adapt new ideas as they see fit. “If we want to preserve a wide range of human conditions because it allows free people the best chance to make their own lives, we can’t enforce diversity by trapping people within differences they long to escape.” As opposed to homogeneity, the stronghold of culture preservationists’ in which their goal is to preserve their traditional ways and to deny the influence of Western culture from poisoning their