Cosmopolitanism as Hospitality
Focusing on sovereignty, political community, and democracy, this book presents a theory of cosmopolitan politics rooted in the concept of hospitality. It engages with critical debates surrounding cosmopolitanism and ethics within international relations, offering valuable insights into the complexities of political intervention and the nature of global citizenship.
Hospitality offers a fresh perspective on international relations and political theory, addressing contemporary challenges such as state relations and refugee crises. This concept, often overlooked, serves as a framework for understanding the complexities of global interactions, emphasizing the importance of welcoming and accommodating others in the pursuit of peace and cooperation among nations.
Radically alternative models of civil society are explored, challenging the liberal democratic framework. The book examines diverse theories and practices from Eastern Europe and Latin America, including the Zapatistas, highlighting non-statist democratic possibilities. By considering these alternative voices, it addresses critical questions for democratic theory and practice, offering fresh insights into the role of civil society in fostering democracy globally.
Gideon Baker provides a gripping genealogy of Western philosophy as a history of questioning. From Socrates to Judith Butler, he reveals the ancient in the modern and reflects on newer questions, like: is human being uniquely defined by questioning? And does the negativity of questioning lead to nihilistic despair? Staying faithful to his theme, Baker calls Western philosophy itself into question, asking why questioning should be seen as central to the true life. Is this not the same prejudice that led Socrates, at the beginning of Western philosophy, to ask whether the unexamined life is worth living? Far from being timeless, the questioning that lies at the heart of Western philosophy has a strange and unsettling history that concerns us all.