World citizen

Not to be confused with global citizenship.

You may be looking for World Citizen (album)

This article is about the concept. For about the related award, see Citizen of the World.

World Citizen flag by Garry Davis

World Citizen badge http://www.worldservice.org

World citizen has a variety of similar meanings, often referring to a person who disapproves of traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship.

An early incarnation of this sentiment can be found in Socrates, who Plutarch quoted as saying: "I am not an Athenian, or a Greek, but a citizen of the world." The Tamil poet Kaniyan Poongundran wrote in Purananuru, "To us all towns are one, all men our kin." In later years, political philosopher Thomas Paine would declare, "My country is the world, all men are my brethren and my religion is to do good." Albert Einstein described himself as a world citizen and supported the idea throughout his life, famously saying "Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind." World citizenship has been promoted by distinguished people from Walter Cronkite to Garry Davis, who has lived for 60 years as a citizen of no nation, only the world. Davis founded the World Service Authority in Washington, DC, which issues the World Passport (usually not considered a valid passport) to world citizens.

In 1956 Hugh J. Schonfield founded the Commonwealth of World Citizens, later known by its Esperanto name "Mondcivitan Republic", which also issued a world passport; it declined after the 1980s.

Other uses

In a non-political definition, it has been suggested that a world citizen may provide value to society by using knowledge acquired across cultural contexts.

In some scenarios, a savvy businessperson who has travelled the world would be able to use knowledge about resources and products found abroad to create business where value can be maximised.

• The United Nations Correspondents Association issues an award called Citizen of the World.
• It may be used by activists such as the World Service Authority that promote an integrated, supranational world government.
• It may sometimes refer to persons promoting internationalism, predicated on the closer cooperation of sovereign states.
• Oxfam UK has an educational programme on global citizenship.
• The Boy Scouts of America offers a merit badge called Citizenship in the World.

See also

• Anationalism, an Esperanto-based movement for the suppression of nationalism.
• Anti-nationalism, the humanist or humanitarian form of which generally corresponds to the world citizen concept.
• Anti-patriotism
• Cosmopolitanism
• Cosmopolitan democracy
• Garry Davis, creator of the "World Passport" and founder of the World Service Authority
• Global citizenship
• Global Citizens Movement
• Global civics
• Global justice
• Global democracy
• Mundialization
• Nutopia
• Perpetual traveler
• Postnationalism
• Transnationalism
• Third Culture Kids, people that grew up in a culture different from their own
• World city
• World government
• World Passport

Notes

7. scribd.com :

• The World Citizen
• A Blueprint for World Government not NWO
• The World Citizen Constitution and Definition and Color of a Civilised Society

References

• "For the Love of the World". Time (magazine). June 13, 1949. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,800294,00.html. Retrieved 2007-05-11. 

• "Thoughts & Afterthoughts". Time (magazine). October 9, 1950. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,935500,00.html. Retrieved 2007-05-11. 

• Briggs, Caroline (July 23, 2005). "Sad farewell to 'world citizen'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4710759.stm. Retrieved 2007-05-11. 

• Thompson, Allan (December 14, 2006). "A double standard for politicians' dual citizenship". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/article/147620. Retrieved 2007-05-11. 

• Singh Jaiswal, Anjali (August 19, 2005). "Straight answers". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1205489.cms. Retrieved 2007-05-11. 

• E. Dougherty, Jon (February 2, 1999). "Groups promote global governance". WorldNetDaily. http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=15123. Retrieved 2007-05-11. 

• Kaye, Margaret (June 7, 1995). "People: Douglas Mattern: toward a world without borders". Palo Alto Online. http://www.paloaltoonline.com/weekly/morgue/news/1995_Jun_7.PEOPLE07.html. Retrieved 2007-05-11. 

• Bahá'u'lláh (1988). "Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas". US Bahá'í Publishing Trust. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/TB/. Retrieved 2008-03-05. 
• A World Citizen Program site
• Primary School Global Citizenship site
• Cosmopolitanism at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Global Culture Essays on the influence of Global Citizens
• Living in the World Risk Society by Ulrich Beck at the London School of Economics
• Great Transition Initiative Paper Series Global Politics and Institutions, paper #3 , and Dawn of the Cosmopolitan: The Hope of a Global Citizens Movement, paper #15, explore the potential for the emergence of a cosmopolitan identity and corresponding institutions.

External links

• "Civis Mundi". Matthew R. Foster. 2009-04-08. http://www.civismundi.net/. Retrieved 2009-04-08. "Civisne Mundi Es? Civis Mundi Sum!" 

• "World Citizens". http://www.wctz.org/. 
• "World Citizens Foundation". http://www.worldcitizen.org/. 
• "World Government of World Citizens". http://www.worldservice.org/. 
• "Association of World Citizens". http://www.worldcitizens.org/.