Q&A: Cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism
Question
Hello and blessings, Rabbi,
I have a question:
What is the Rabbi’s view on cosmopolitanism?
Thank you in advance, Rabbi!
Answer
I didn’t understand the question.
Discussion on Answer
If you have a concrete question, ask it here. I don’t write essays on demand.
Is there a contradiction between Judaism and cosmopolitanism?
Specify what you mean in cosmopolitanism.
David clarified his question:
The desire to detach from certain national feelings and to see humanity as one whole.
My answer:
There is no value in feelings as such. Each person has his own feelings. If someone wants to see humanity as one whole, good for him. It indeed is one whole, but that whole is made up of different parts. The same goes for a people, a community, a family, and so on.
I don’t see such a desire, or its opposite, as having any connection to Judaism.
I’m deliberately insisting on this, because you need to define clearly what exactly you’re asking.
I asked in general terms, so I don’t really know exactly what to ask. In any case, I’ll ask whether, in your opinion, from a religious standpoint one may prefer a world without nationalism.
Anything is possible. You can also prefer a world without commandments. The question of what one prefers is a personal matter. The important question is what one does, not what one prefers.
I’m asking what your view is on the cosmopolitan ideology.
Opposed, supportive, indifferent—any thoughts you have on the subject.