Description: Kok-Chor Tan argues that the cosmopolitan idea of global justice may be understood in such a way that it can accept nationalist and patriotic commitments. Tan believes that cosmopolitan justice need not deny the worth of the ordinary non-impartial values even as it defends a vision of global egalitarianism. Properly understood, it can set the limits for nationalist and patriotic efforts without denying the moral independence of these partial pursuits.
Brief description: 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.
Review Quotes: "This clear and highly convincing book articulates and defends a plausible version of cosmopolitanism while providing an excellent overview of recent debates."
The Journal of Moral Philosophy, Michael W. Howard, University of Maine