ABSTRACT
In a world that is becoming palpably more interdependent it is not surprising that a philosophy based on and rooted in the comparison of cultures, that is intercultural philosophy, is considered to be a new intellectual challenge. A comparable observation can be made in other areas; international lawyers, for instance, are now enquiring into the emergence of a ‘world law’ that is no longer founded on the principle of individual sovereign states and has an autonomous jurisdiction extending beyond the law of nations or international law. ‘Globalization’ and its effects, right down to the smallest social unit, have become a major analytical issue for economists, sociologists and political scientists. Moreover, the social sciences are gradually rediscovering comparative approaches as an ideal cognitive method, enabling them to acquire a truly transnational, international or even global perspective. In view of such similar intellectual endeavours, therefore, ‘intercultural philosophy’ is in good company.1
