Cultural Humanism and the Challenge of Global Justice

The fundamental problem of global justice is precisely about how to develop a (set of) universally valid principle(s) of social cooperation. Unfortunately, in the discourse on global justice, neither of the two dominant and opposing theoretical “camps” – advocates of the “political conception” of global justice, nor the cosmopolitans – has been able to meet this challenge. This is because both camps have not taken full cognizance of the overriding role culture and cultural prejudices play in determining the bases of social cooperation/interaction. Relying on critical multidisciplinary pathways, this study attempts a resolution of the culture problematic, by anchoring an account of global justice on Fanon’s notion of “cultural humanism.” Cultural humanism would necessarily midwife a new and flourishing global order of inter-cultural equality, where the interest of every human being, irrespective of cultural or religious persuasion/location, would matter equally, and the principles of justice would be established globally and recognized consistently and persistently.