A Moral Cosmopolitan Perspective on Language Education

Abstract

In recent years, scholars have turned to cosmopolitanism as a framework for thinking through issues of language and citizenship. In this article, I present Daisaku Ikeda's philosophy of cosmopolitan education and compare it with others' in the extant literature. I examine, from a philosophical perspective, its roots in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism and its implications for language education. I conclude that a moral cosmopolitan perspective on language education must be grounded in the cultivation of the three virtues of wisdom, courage, and compassion as ways of empowering individuals and communities.