“I am neither Athenian nor a Greek, but a citizen of the world.” Diogenes (c. 430 C.E.)

This groundbreaking statement challenged the basis of ancient Greek identity, which was historically set by one’s native city, and led to a new school of thought, Cosmopolitanism. The word itself derives from the Greek - Cosmos (the universe) and Polis (city).

Cosmopolitism is a worldview that believes all human beings belong to a single community. The thinking goes that each human dwells in two communities, the local community of one’s birth, and the larger community of human aspiration. According to the ancient Greek philosopher, Hierocles, the ideal personal identity is based on related concentric circles, starting from the self to family, friends, local community, nation, and then all of humanity. (Important to note levels of responsibility decrease with every circle!)

Cosmopolitism is broader than the economic and political doctrine of globalization and more holistic than multi-culturalism. It's both the solution and the challenge for the 21st Century.

Curious to learn more? I highly recommend "Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers" by Yale professor Anthony Kwame Appiah.