One of the central debates in international justice is about the scope of principles of distributive justice. Liberal statists endorse a relationist approach and claim that principles of justice1...Show moreOne of the central debates in international justice is about the scope of principles of distributive justice. Liberal statists endorse a relationist approach and claim that principles of justice1 are only applicable in domestic set-tings while cosmopolitans argue for a broader nonrelationist applicability of these principles in the international sphere. I will acknowledge that the state has normative peculiarity but also claim that there are other grounds of justice, both relational and nonrelational, that plea for more demanding general obligations of justice towards other peoples or states. These duties are based on principles of justice since they are more stringent and en-forceable than current statist views on foreign policies. I will oppose the narrow statist view and argue instead for a broader application of principles of justice. Relying on grounds or domains of justice allows us to leave the unilateral discussion between relationists (statists) and nonrelationists (cosmopolitans) for both do not succeed in capturing an accurate, complete account of international justice. Distinguishing different grounds of justice will show how the exact nature of a relationship determines what principles of justice are applicable for which agents. I will also show how this alternative approach is helpful in the challenging debate of noncompliance and questions on who is to pick up the slack that is left by noncomplying agents. The main argument I will thus make is that liberal statists have reasons to endorse more demanding international duties of justice. My aim is twofold: first to show inconsistencies in statist theory and second to explain how statist approaches are compatible with endorsing other, more demanding duties of global justice.Show less
In today’s interconnected world, country borders are exceeded more easily than ever. This has led countries all over the world to integrate world citizenship in the educational curriculum. However,...Show moreIn today’s interconnected world, country borders are exceeded more easily than ever. This has led countries all over the world to integrate world citizenship in the educational curriculum. However, governments also use education as a mean for nation-building, using education as a powerful tool to enhance a country’s patriotic convictions. Within the philosophical debate, world-citizenship is embodied in cosmopolitanism and appears to have conflicting interest with patriotism. The former holds the conviction that all human beings have equal moral worth, whereas the latter advocates for a special concern for one’s fellow countrymen. In this thesis it is investigated whether these seemingly conflicting positions on morality can be taught simultaneously without conflicting one another. In order to investigate this question, the work of Martha Nussbaum is examined.Show less
Urban heritage spaces in Bangkok and Singapore have long been subjected to much debate regarding what these spaces represent to the general public and how they have been maintained by particular...Show moreUrban heritage spaces in Bangkok and Singapore have long been subjected to much debate regarding what these spaces represent to the general public and how they have been maintained by particular political structures in the two respective cities. In this thesis it will be reflected how these ongoing processes are reflective of the particular nation-building processes that the Thai and Singaporean governments have undertaken. Moreover, how these process have served to maintain the dominant nationalist ideologies.Show less
Thomas Pogge in his paper “Cosmopolitanism and Sovereignty” developed an idea for global institutional reform which contributed significantly to the debate about global justice and promotion of...Show moreThomas Pogge in his paper “Cosmopolitanism and Sovereignty” developed an idea for global institutional reform which contributed significantly to the debate about global justice and promotion of human rights. Pogge attempts to use a strategy that would permit him to go beyond the debate between two extreme approaches to duties, namely libertarianism and utilitarianism. The idea is to invoke strong obligations on the part of individuals by appealing only to their negative duties and not affirming positive duties. In this way, Pogge attempts to broaden the circle of responsibility for the fulfillment of human rights. This thesis will discover how succesful Pogge is in his strategy to do it. It will explore how Pogge adresses within his institutional cosmopolitanism the duties that human rights entail and reveal this way a number of weak points in the theoryShow less
