The Case For Contamination By Kwame Anthony Appiah

Through the lenses of preservationists, culture is authentic, carries traditions that keep historical ancestry alive, and is threatened by â€Å"cultural imperialism†. From a cosmopolitan perspective, culture is the freedom of choice, made up of multiple values and ideas that allow individuals to reinvigorate its uniqueness in an ever changing society. In â€Å"The Case for Contamination†, published by the New York Times Magazine, Kwame Anthony Appiah addresses the concern regarding the diminishment of cultural identity in poor countries by introducing the idea of cosmopolitanism: being free from cultural preordains and engaging in a pluralist society. Appiah endorses globalization and explains that resisting cultural interconnection will perhaps trap people in a stagnating society and avert it from achieving a pluralistic environment. He claims that cosmopolitanism enables individuals to adopt foreign culture based on how they see fit within their cultural context, and without â€Å"structuring the consciousness† and detaching people from traditional beliefs. Indeed, people consider their traditional beliefs when introduced to Western culture because it allows them to draw valuable lessons from cultural import and enforce their own principles and notions. However, there are instances in which this â€Å"cultural imperialism† separates individuals from their traditional beliefs, regardless of their cultural surroundings and efforts to prevent cultural assimilation, because in many situationsShow MoreRelatedThe Case for Contamination, by Kwame Anthony Appiah813 Words   |  3 PagesIn the article, â€Å"The Case for Contamination†, by Kwame Anthony Appiah, the author focused on globalization and its effects on the world. He stressed how new innovations and traditions, rooted from modernization, are essentially contaminating age-old customs and values. Appiah used examples from his personal experiences to illustrate the shift from traditional customs to modern practices within cultures. Although the author explained how globa lization adversely affects traditional values and culturesRead MoreThe Case for Contamination by Kwame Anthony Appiah620 Words   |  3 Pages Being raised in Ghana, receiving higher education in England and working as a professor in the United States certainly helped Kwame Anthony Appiah receive a fair share of different cultures. Appiah is a recognized philosopher with several published books and an impressive track record of accomplishments. His article The Case for Contamination, which was published in The New York Times, speaks of the topic of how globalization affects individuals in many aspects of their life. He discusses how forcefullyRead Moreâ€Å"the Case for Contamination† by Kwame Anthony Appiah Essay1387 Words   |  6 PagesArticle: â€Å"The Case for Contamination† by Kwame Anthony Appiah In â€Å"The Case for Contamination† the author Kwame Appiah analyzes and points out the many ways in which the world is becoming globalized. He uses many extensive examples to show that the world is getting ‘contaminated’. By ‘contamination’ he means that the mixture of all the innovative values and traditions are damaging and eventually destroying what our ancestors have left us. In his analysis, he describes the gradual transformationRead MoreShould The Public Space Act Of A Public Service?1913 Words   |  8 Pagesneither in schools nor in other public places. So what was the real intention of the law? Schools are places where the nation is formed, where the future of the nation is formed. Schools are the main tools in establishing national ideology. In the case of France, it is the ideology that is based on the sameness of individuals. A shared culture is a demonstration of sameness and expressed differences such as religious symbols prevent the formation of Frenchness. Therefore, the motivation behind theRead MoreGlobalization And Globalization1539 Words   |  7 Pagesgoods, but ideas as well. The Case for Contamination by Kwame Anthony Appiah explained to Ghanaians about modern day issues and how to attack them one by one. He explained the importance of sustainability and how it benefits all people. Educating the Ghanaians on ideas, such as science and disease, will allow for development in their country. Using the advice may allow Ghana to build a stronger government and economy (Kwane Anthony Appiah, The Case for Contamination, p. 1). Spreading the ideas of