Introduction

Abstract

This chapter sets out the problem the book intends to solve: While cosmopolitanism cannot be reduced to the advocacy of a world state, it is currently unclear what constitutes cosmopolitans as participants in the global justice debate. If the term is not to be abandoned, it must be redefined. This is the aim of the book. The chapter also clarifies how moral and institutional considerations are interrelated and what normative theories can—and cannot—offer in terms of recommending or judging institutional orders. The chapter ends with a description of the main argument of the book.