ABSTRACT
Cosmopolitanism and globalization are closely connected and on some level overlapping; but they are not synonyms. Taking issue with the dominant realist or power-political emphasis, Charles R. Beitz in his study argued forcefully in favor of introducing the idea of global justice into the international field. In a string of writings culminating in her study Another Cosmopolitanism, Benhabib has attempted to sketch the path leading from inter-state relations to "cosmopolitan law" anchored in discursive principles. "While my account aims at being universal", we read there, "it tries to address cultural and political specificity seriously". As it appears, however, recognition of that specificity does not impinge on the "defining role" of universal principles. Transferring those considerations to the contemporary global situation, it becomes clear that cosmopolitanism cannot simply rely on the operation of legal principles and rational norms, but has to descend into the formation of conduct and character.
