On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness (Thinking in Action)

One of the world's most famous philosophers, Jacques Derrida, explores difficult questions in this important and engaging book. Is it still possible to uphold international hospitality and justice in the face of increasing nationalism and civil strife in so many countries? Drawing on examples of treatment of minority groups in Europe, he skillfully and accessibly probes the thinking that underlies much of the practice, and rhetoric, that informs cosmopolitanism. What have duties and rights to do with hospitality? Should hospitality be grounded in a private or public ethic, or even a religious one? This fascinating book will be illuminating reading for all.

Thinking in Action is a major new series that takes philosophy to the public. Each book in the series is written by a major international philosopher or thinker, engages with an important contemporary topic and is clearly and accessibly written. The series informs and sharpens debate on topics as wide ranging as the internet, religion, the problems of immigration, and the way we think about science. Short, stimulating and provocative, Thinking in Action is an indispensable series of books for anyone who wants to think seriously about major issues confronting us today.

From the early Stoics to Kant's idea of "perpetual peace", cosmopolitanism has been at the heart of philosophical and political thinking about justice. Derrida asks whether it is still possible to uphold international hospitality and justice in the face of increasing nationalism and civil strife in many countries.