The relationship between human beings and the cosmos can be subjected to a scientific as well as a poetic gaze. Several other notions are derived from the concept of the cosmos. Cosmopolitanism relates to the ethical ideal of belonging, as a citizen of the world, to a universal community. Cosmopolitics corresponds to a concern with providing local politics with a cosmopolitan dimension and transnational politics with a democratic dimension. This book intends to discuss the various perspectives on the cosmos, cosmopolitanism, cosmopolitics, and other related concepts.

Soraya Nour Sckell and Damien Ehrhardt: Introduction

I. Since ancient times
Carlos João Correia: Cosmogony
Nguyen Quy Dao: A Far-Eastern reading of the sky

II. Through the 18th Century
Susana Antas Videira: Republicanism, representation and equality in the works of Thomas Paine
Alexei N. Krouglov: Struggle against the »Best of all Possible Worlds« Doctrine mid-18th Century German Cosmology
Gualtiero Lorini: Völkerrecht as Staatenrecht. Unpacking Kant' s definition of cosmopolitan right

III. Through the 19th Century
Oliver Schlaudt: Alexander von Humboldt - ein moderner Anthropologe? Eine foucauldianische Lektüre des Kosmos
Dirk Michael Hennrich: Landschaft oder Kosmos. Ein Beitrag zur Philosophie der Landschaft im Ausgang von Alexander von Humboldt
Damien Ehrhardt: Musique et cosmos: l' émergence de la forme dans l' oeuvre au XIXe siècle

IV. Through the 20th Century
Juvenal Savian Filho: The world as an experience
Soraya Nour Sckell und Thorsten Fath: Dialektischer Kosmopolitismus: jenseits der Polarisierungen dreier paradigmatischer Ansätze bei Horkheimer, Habermas und Hardt/Negri
Frauke A. Kurbacher: Cosmopolitan critique - On being a world citizen after Kant, Arendt and Derrida

V. Contemporary approaches
Paulo de Brito: Reflections on MacCormick' s »civic conception of nation«, the idea of a »world State« and Pogge' s cosmopolitan approach
João Pinheiro: A naturalist agenda for cosmopolitan research: The cosmopolitan conjecture
Gérard Raulet: Le cosmopolitisme est-il une réalité? Antinomies et stratégies discursives

Biographies
Personal Index

The relationship between human beings and the cosmos has developed in divergent mythological, poetic, religious, philosophical, scientific, political-juridical, and ecological ways over time. Throughout history the cosmos has been subjected to a scientific perspective as well as to the poetic gaze, both of which contemplate the mysteries of the night, the comets, the king-sun, the moon, and infinity. Several other concepts, such as cosmology, cosmopolitanism, cosmopolitics, cosmopolitan citizenship, cosmopolitan law, and cosmic consciousness are derived from the idea of the cosmos. Cosmopolitanism relates to the ethical ideal of belonging, as a citizen of the world, to a universal community, beyond any links to particular communities. Cosmopolitics corresponds to a dual concern with affording local politics a cosmopolitan dimension and ensuring that global politics has a democratic dimension. This book intends to discuss the various perspectives on the cosmos, cosmopolitanism, cosmopolitics and other related concepts.