Kwame Anthony Appiah on Pictures of the World

Born to a Ghanaian father and British mother, Kwame Anthony Appiah grew up splitting time between both countries — and lecturing in many more — before eventually settling in America, where he now teaches philosophy at New York University. This, along with a family scattered across half-a-dozen countries, establishes him as a true cosmopolitan, a label Appiah readily accepts. Yet he insists it is nonetheless possible to be a cosmopolitan patriot, rooted in a place, while having obligations and interests that transcend one's national identity.

He joins Tyler to discuss this worldly perspective and more, including whether Africa will secularize, Ghanian fallibilism, teaching Jodie Foster, whether museums should repatriate collections, Karl Popper, Lee Kuan Yew, which country has the best jollof rice, the value of writing an ethical advice column, E.T. Mensah, Paul Simon, the experience of reading 173 novels to judge the Man Booker prize, and what he's learned farming sheep in New Jersey.

We're coming to New York City! Join us for a live podcast recording with Alain Bertaud on September 9th. To learn more and register for the event, click here.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded June 12th, 2019 Other ways to connect

• Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
• Follow Tyler on Twitter
• Follow Kwame on Twitter
• Email us: [email protected]
• Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox.