Cosmopolitanism and Patriotism

Name- Shreyas Garg

Sec- Bcom LLB A
Summary:
“Cosmopolitanism and Patriotism” by Martha Nussbaum is an essay which dives deep into the human
psychology and behavior towards the feeling of serving one’s nation or doing what is right as a human
being. Cosmopolitanism and patriotism are two very different perspectives which often collide with one
another. It is rooted deeply within our conscience and influences the choices and decisions we make under
different circumstances. She expresses her concerns about patriotism and how it could cloud a normal
person’s judgement and cause them to make irrational decisions. Excessive patriotism towards anything is
extremely harmful as it can lead people astray from their morals and values. It narrows people’s vision and
doesn’t allow them to look at the broader perspective from an ethical standpoint. She uses Rabindranath
Tagore’s novel “The Home and the World” as one of the main references for her essay as it aligns with her
perspective and the message that she is trying to convey. She urges people to follow a more cosmopolitan
outlook, which emphasizes the idea of being a global citizen and thinking in the interests of the entire
humankind rather than a single nation. This perspective allows us to go beyond our own little confined
bubble and integrate many important moral values which are worthy such as justice, equality, and
collaboration. Patriotism is too dangerous for its own good and might not even help us achieve the goals
we set out to accomplish. In today’s world, involving several issues such as climate change, poverty,
human rights cannot be solved if we just keep looking at our own interests and problems by ignoring the
rest of the world. These issues must be looked from a cosmopolitan view as they go beyond the
geographical boundaries of nations and affect the entire world. She addresses that the debate between
cosmopolitanism and patriotism has been a topic of discussion for both philosophical and political circles
for a very long time but if we want to address global challenges and promote worthy morals we have to
follow the cosmopolitan perspective. She talks about stoicism and how its ideas are very similar to the
cosmopolitan view. Stoics have always expressed their concern about the dangerous effects of factionalism
and excessive attachment to any particular groups or nations, always lead to conflict and division among
people. Stoic principles promote universal values that people should follow in order to live a peaceful life
without or with as less conflict as possible. The author wants this cosmopolitan stoic stance to be adopted
in the education system. Students should learn to think from a broader perspective and the
interconnectedness of human beings with one another. Cosmopolitan education really allows us to properly
evaluate ourselves as we can see our own cultures, practices and beliefs through the lens of other cultures.
A very important argument the author makes is to strike a balance between cosmopolitanism and
patriotism, we don’t have to abandon our identities or who we are to adopt the cosmopolitan perspective.
We can all have our own interests, beliefs and still become a world citizen. We should not let our interest
in something or strong emotions like patriotism dictate our behavior towards other people or prevent from
making rational choices. She says that patriotism is a very colourful feeling unlike cosmopolitanism. The
idea of a nation provides a sense of purpose to its people which is comforting, letting go of those feeling
one might feel lonely or astray from the rest of society.

Critical Analysis:
The debate between cosmopolitanism and patriotism has gone on for a very long time and Martha
Nussbaum’s essay offers an interesting perspective into this matter. Her arguments are very much in
favour of the cosmopolitan view. The author’s argument to be open to different cultures is valid and
justified but it is also very important that we preserve our own culture. In today’s day and age being
exposed to so many cultures, we should not lose sight of who we are and where our roots belong. As
humans our sense of identity is very important to us, the place we were born, the kind of food we eat, the
people around us all of it influences and builds our character and personality. The concept of being a
global citizen in that sense seems a little far fetched, because our place of belonging is such a core part of
our being. We cannot call ourselves “global citizens” if everything about us is different depending on
where we are from. A person living in the cold winds of Siberia cannot relate to someone living in the
pleasant weather of Brighton. Cultural, social and geographical barriers will definitely exist between
human beings and it is not a something to be worried about, as it is quite natural. The feeling of patriotism
is not as dangerous as it seems, our culture, history and traditions is what unites us as human beings.
Taking India as an example, a very culturally diverse country but united under one nation. The people of a
nation share a common history and background, which brings them together, in the case of India the war
against British raj is what brought the entire nation together to fight against a common evil. It is definitely
possible that excessive patriotism may cloud someone’s judgement and cause them to make irrational
decision, but anything in excess is bad for the health. We can love our country but still criticize it in a
rightful manner. It is not necessary that just because we love something it will cause people to become
irrational, on the other hand they will criticize it more because they want to see their country grow. People
need some common ground to form a connection, just the fact that we are human beings is not enough for
that matter. Interests like music brings the world whole world together, where people are willing to travel
cross country to attend concerts and experiencing different cultures. In today’s world learning about
different cultures is very easy through social media, people from different parts of the world can connect
easily with the click of a single button. Through pictures and videos uploaded on social media we can
experience different parts of the world and what’s life like over there. It is important for us to keep an open
mind and listen to different viewpoints. As pointed out in the essay it is important to teach kids about
different cultures and places.

Example:
Cosmopolitanism while it may advocate for ideas of peace, togetherness, and brotherhood it has its own
negative consequences. Tearing down national borders and treating everyone as equals while may sound
good on paper but also has its sound effects, which is the prominent issue of refugee crisis. Many people
from all over the world migrate to different countries for various reasons, it can be climate change, safety,
better opportunities etc. This begs the question whether countries should adopt a more cosmopolitan
attitude towards these refugees and accept them as their own citizens or follow a different approach. Every
country has only a limited number of resources, and many countries can’t provide for its own citizens. In
that case the refugees become a burden on the countries resources, therefore stricter immigration policies
are being implemented. Cosmopolitanism is thus not a bad world view to have but it is definitely not the
ideal kind of world view.