Kwame Appiah's Vision Of Cosmopolitanism

The year is 2015, the world is diverse and filled with lots of different morals and values. Due to the fact America has become the melting pot of cultures it shows most people have become cosmopolitan. People have become more open-minded and understanding of values other than their own. New technology is responsible for spreading those ideas across the world, which allowed Kwame Appiah’s vision of cosmopolitanism to come back to life because it helped promote social change. Society in the past were very closed minded about cultures other than their own because they were not educated about it, they created judgements based on what they saw. Having a computer in a house was rare, so it was hard people to learn about events that took place. In …show more content…
Having a mutual understanding prevents violence between the groups of people. For example, instead of banning N.W.A from mainstream American radio society could have performed “the public act of exchanging stated justifications” (76). They could have come to an agreement that satisfied the needs of both the rap group and society. Instead the public attempted to destroy what N.W.A. considered black culture by not allowing their music on the radio. The rap group did not assimilate to the kind of music considered the social norm in that time period which caused problems between society and them. Due to the lack of reasoning the group was not given a chance to voice their opinions, society shut them down because they were afraid coming to an agreement would destroy American culture. Appiah believed if people from different cultures came to small agreements then it would create a civil society. Having an “us” and “them” group created conflicts because people would only think of themselves and those in the same group as them. Mostly because they share the same values and customs. He believed people from different cultures needed to learn to coexist with each other and the only way that is possible is if people started respecting each other. Having different cultures around in society allows people to be open minded to know things or even change their mind about a certain …show more content…
People from all over the world can voice their opinion through computer and phone screens. Appiah’s idea of cosmopolitanism was brought back to life once social media were invented because it made it easy for people to communicate and reason with each other. The apps, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram limit miscommunication among people because it allows people in different locations to share their customs and belief’s. Assumptions no longer have to be made because society would be able to understand other people’s views on a matter. Social media makes it easier for humans to interact with each other, the conversation “doesn’t have to lead to consensus about anything, especially not values; it’s enough that helps people get used to one another” (82). People who come from different backgrounds think differently, but because we all are on the same planet we should respect them. In other words, agreeing to disagree on a matter because it creates a peaceful environment. Living in the 1990’s made it difficult for N.W.A to voice their opinion due to the limited amount of technology. Having modern technology made Appiah’s idea of living in an open-minded and understanding society