Cosmopolitanism holds that all human beings belong to a single moral community, and that obligations to people do not stop at national borders.
Key thinkers:Thomas Paine, Rabindranath Tagore, Adam SmithTake the test and your match with Cosmopolitanism shows up here. It is worked out in your browser and never sent anywhere.
Cosmopolitans favor international cooperation, human rights, open exchange and often more open borders. They argue that where a person is born should not decide their basic rights or opportunities.
The idea goes back to ancient Greek thinkers who called themselves “citizens of the world”, and was developed by Enlightenment philosophers such as Immanuel Kant.
The ideas that most people in this tradition would sign up to.
The word comes from the Greek kosmopolitēs, “citizen of the world”, a phrase associated with Diogenes the Cynic.
Thinkers whose documented positions on the 12 axes align most closely with this ideology.
Pamphleteer & revolutionary · 1737–1809
An English-born pamphleteer whose Common Sense and Rights of Man argued for American independence, republican government and public provision for the poor, and whose Age of Reason attacked revealed religion.
“Uncompromising advocate of universal suffrage, representative republic, and overthrow of hereditary rule.”
Poet & philosopher · 1861–1941
A Bengali poet and Nobel laureate who criticised nationalism, founded a school and university for open exchange, and renounced his knighthood after the 1919 Amritsar massacre.
“Condemned militarist nationalism in Japan and the West in his 1916–17 lectures.”
Scottish moral philosopher & economist · 1723–1790
A Scottish moral philosopher whose Wealth of Nations explained how specialisation and competition create wealth, and who criticised monopolies and trade restrictions.
“Machines and the division of labour are the source of wealth, though he warns that repetitive work can dull the worker’s mind.”
These are its strongest leanings, followed by all twelve axes. They describe the typical version of the tradition.
Leans very strongly toward Internationalism
95% toward Internationalism
Leans very strongly toward Globalism
92% toward Globalism
Leans very strongly toward Democratic
90% toward Democratic
Editorial estimates for comparison and discussion. Real people and parties in this tradition vary.
Countries whose estimated profile is most like this ideology. No country follows a single ideology, so read this as a comparison, not a label.
Every tradition has critics. These are the objections most often raised.
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The test scores you on all twelve axes and ranks every ideology by how well it matches you.
