Grounding Cosmopolitanism

This book explores Kant's cosmopolitanism and the normative requirements consistent with a Kantian based cosmopolitan constitution. Topics such as cosmopolitan law, cosmopolitan right, the laws of hospitality, a Kantian federation of states, a cosmopolitan epistemology of culture and a possible normative basis for a Kantian form of global distributive justice are explored and defended.

Contrary to many contemporary interpretations, Brown considers Kant's cosmopolitan thought as a form of international constitutional jurisprudence that requires minimal legal demands versus the extreme condition of establishing a world state. Viewing Kant's cosmopolitan theory as a minimal form of global jurisprudence allows it to satisfy communitarian, realist and pluralist concerns without surrendering cosmopolitan principles of human worth and cosmopolitan law. In this regard, it provides a more comprehensive understanding of Kantian cosmopolitanism and what normative implications this vision has for contemporary international political theory.

Key Features

• Outlines the various positions within Kant's cosmopolitanism and examines their interrelated themes and conclusions
• Defends a Kantian cosmopolitan position against its most profound critics
• Argues for the contemporary and interdisciplinary relevance of Kant's cosmopolitan thought and its importance for understanding and resolving current global concerns