Patriotism and Nationalism

“Patriotism versus Cosmopolitanism: Is your loyalty to America and Americans more important than the common humanity you share with everyone on the globe?”

Throughout the debate, the topics of Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism contrasted with one and another in which the main question comes to ponder, “Is your loyalty to America and Americans more important than the common humanity you share with everyone on the globe?” This can be an extremely difficult question to answer because generally who or what is more important, your own country or the common humanity that you share with other people or strangers? Truly, an American citizen would prefer helping about another American citizen because with many of us it is accustomed for us to do so and many American citizens already have some type of unity or a cultural bond that has been implemented in our behaviors. However, this issue is extremely complex and we must analyze this issue from both perspectives.

Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all kinds of human ethnic groups belong to a single community based on a shared morality. More or less this type of ideology contrasts heavily with the topics of patriotism and nationalism in which can be confusing from time to time. However, Cosmopolitanism may entail some sort of world government or it may simply refer to more inclusive moral, economic, and/or political relationships between nations or individuals of different nations. For example in the philosophy debate (Philosophy Talk), what if there was an individual was drowning but you have bought new sneakers that you do not want to get dirty and what if this person is not an American citizen, should you save this individuals life? Generally, if we know how to swim than most likely we would attempt to save this individual because it is morally right. However if we were looking at this situation from a patriotic standpoint, why would we even care about saving this individual and what if this person comes from an ethnicity that rivals the American culture. When it comes to patriotism there is far too much leverage in which some unjustified patriotic acts have led to violence and chaos. For example, was slavery patriotic even though many Americans knew that this act was extremely immoral? But to answer the primary question there should be a moral or rational limit to Patriotism because again there is far too much leverage and some acts are unjustified and it is an excuse to commit a crime or wrongdoing to one another, of the same race, and of a foreign race.

1.Since there are moral limitations to patriotism, what are some rational limitations?
2.Which topic should Americans abide by in the new decade, Patriotism or Cosmopolitanism?