Justice without Borders Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism, and Patriotism Contemporary Political Theory Series

The cosmopolitan idea of justice is commonly accused of not taking seriously the special ties and commitments of nationality and patriotism. This is because the ideal of impartial egalitarianism, which is central to the cosmopolitan view, seems to be directly opposed to the moral partiality inherent to nationalism and patriotism. In this book, Kok-Chor Tan argues that cosmopolitan justice, properly understood, can accommodate and appreciate nationalist and patriotic commitments, setting limits for these commitments without denying their moral significance. This book offers a defense of cosmopolitan justice against the charge that it denies the values that ordinarily matter to people, and a defence of nationalism and patriotism against the charge that these morally partial ideals are fundamentally inconsistent with the obligations of global justice. Accessible and persuasive, this book will have broad appeal to political theorists and moral philosophers.

Preface; 1. Introduction; Part I. Cosmopolitanism: 2. The need for cosmopolitan justice; 3. Conceptions of cosmopolitan justice; 4. Liberalism and cosmopolitan justice; Part II. Nationalism: 5. Nationalism and cosmopolitanism; 6. Equality among nations; Part III. Patriotism: 7. The limits of patriotism; 8. Citizenship and special obligations; 9. Nationality and justice; Conclusion.

Kok-Chor Tan is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Toleration, Diversity, and Global Justice (2000), which was a joint runner-up for the 2003 Canadian Philosophical Association Book Prize.