| The dissertation analyzes the state of contemporary cosmopolitanism by focusing on three theorists: Martha Nussbaum, Jurgen Habermas and David Held. Each is identified with a particular, though not exclusive, level of analysis. Nussbaum concentrates primarily on the individual or flourishing human beings in a globalizing world. Habermas focuses on social justice within and beyond the modern democratic nation-state. Held deals with the inter-state system or with the prospects for democratic nation-states facing the disruptions of global capital. All three self-consciously identify as neo-Kantian cosmopolitans in one form or another. As such, they address critiques of transcendental philosophy, universal moral principles and the challenges of conceiving politics beyond a neoliberal, Washington consensus that purportedly marks the "end of history." Each author addresses concerns with threats to global security, sovereignty and human dignity resulting from imperialist capitalist policies as well as fundamentalist religious and reactionary responses. |
