Cosmopolitanism and Global Justice: A Review Essay of Cosmopolitan Regard by Richard Vernon

While geologists may not be able to find physical proof to suggest that the world is shrinking, social scientists are convinced that this is the case. The amount of information that is shared amongst the world's citizens has grown exponentially over the years, and evidence of an increasingly interconnected world can be seen in every facet of our everyday lives from the food we eat to what we watch on television. Thousands of miles that once divided us from one another are now eliminated by telephones, the Internet, and even the ability to make telephone calls over the Internet. In countries where people lack food security and safe drinking water, they are able to own a pre-paid cell phone and drink Coca-Cola. This is troubling for those who examine the world we live in today with all of its technological advancements and wonder why there are still over a billion people living below the poverty line. If the world is becoming one "global village" then why is there such a disparity between the Haves and the Have Nots? Some believe that it is the responsibility of those who have to improve the wellbeing of those who do not. In the book Cosmopolitan Regard, Political Membership and Global Justice, author Richard Vernon explains the importance of a cosmopolitan world and implications for the world's citizens in its implementation.