Cosmopolitanism and global events

This entry looks at how global events have contributed to the rise and development of a cosmopolitan consciousness. Starting with the Lisbon earthquake in 1755, it contends there have been several such moments in modern history, whose impact and significance transcend their local occurrence and have instead helped foster an awareness of our common humanity. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is certainly one of such global events, whose key novelty is that it may be the first global event in which the majority of the world’s population has experienced a similar event at the same time.