Appiah ~~ Anderson

Appiah has taken some serious thought and strides in order to convey to us what the meaning of Cosmopolitan is. He begins by defining two universal truths that all people follow, our obligations to others and our caring for the individual. He uses these two integral pillars to then begin meticulously defining how we should interact with one another to form a better world. Appiah states how we should all remain open minded, ready to hear what others have to say, whatever that may be. He stresses the subjectivity of values, how what I value is totally wrong with what you value, and how that does not even matter. Appiah's main point is that we need to interact with strangers, or people in the sense that we would never get to know them unless we take steps forward to interact with them. When we decided to listen to the values of another, even when in direct confliction with our own beliefs, we are in fact broadening our minds and becoming more unified as a world in general. I have taken all of these lessons to heart when reading Anderson's thoughts. I believe that a cosmopolitan canopy is just that: a large domain (or "canopy") in which cosmopolitanism is observed and practiced by many people. In these areas, it is easy to interact with one another, and as Reecie Foxtrot states in her blog, it is easy to communicate because people feel comfortable enough to let their guards down. Everyone has secrets they keep to themselves, in order to maintain their self image. But in these canopy environments, self disclosure becomes frequent and valuable, and allows people to connect on an intimate social level. More of us should seek these types of areas, and attempt to steer clear of the neutral or impersonal districts of our lives.