2017.04.11

In the 4th century BCE, Diogenes of Sinope claimed that the whole world was his hometown. Since then, that idea has influenced hundreds of generations of people including figures as diverse as Rumi in 13th century Persia, and Montaigne in 16th century France. Surely Diogenes’ claim was ahead of its time, since up to quite recently, the large majority of people didn’t know about or have the capacity to influence most other people in our “global village.” Today, in a world that is interconnected in so many ways—technically, culturally, economically, ecologically—the idea seems much more apt. But how do we understand the idea of world citizenship in the absence of a global state of which we could literally be citizens?

Speakers

Cyrus R.K. Patell Professor of Literature, NYUAD; Professor of English, NYU

K. Anthony Appiah Professor of Philosophy and Law, New York University

Matthew Silverstein Assistant Professor of Philosophy, NYUAD

Chiran Raj Pandey Bachelor of Literature, Class of 2020, NYUAD