A Comparative Analysis of Melville’s Cosmopolitanism and Kantian Cosmopolitanism

Abstract

The aim of this essay is to examine Herman Melville’s exploration of the Kantian concept of cosmopolitanism, deeply embedded within his seminal work Moby-Dick. In particular, it seeks to unravel the multifaceted ways in which Melville not only engages with but also disrupts and questions the Kantian philosophical notion of cosmopolitanism by immersing Ishmael in a series of situations that revolve around the intricate interplay of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism. At the heart of this analysis lies the investigation into how Melville skillfully crafts Ishmael’s evolving understanding of diverse ethnic and cultural identities. These identities, in turn, exert a reciprocal influence, molding and being molded by Ishmael’s deeply ingrained racial and cultural ideologies. By peeling back the layers of Ishmael’s perceptual journey, Melville lays bare the latent intricacies that underpin the contemporary interpretation of cosmopolitanism, which finds its roots in the philosophical tenets of Kant. This essay delves into Melville’s deliberate thematic and narrative treatment of Ishmael’s transformations across the realms of epistemology, ontology, and ethics. Moreover, it endeavors to elucidate the inherent limitations that accompany these transformative processes, advancing the argument that Melville strategically employs Ishmael’s character as a narrative device to establish a critical distance, compelling readers to recognize the chasm that separates Ishmael’s cosmopolitanism from Melville’s cosmopolitan perspective. I argue that Melville’s cosmopolitanism deviates markedly from the Kantian paradigm, and this divergence challenges and contests the idealistic and theoretical foundations upon which Kantian formulation of cosmopolitanism is erected, rooted in the principles of the nineteenth-century humanism and liberalism. Melville’s critical insights, I claim, shed light on his profound engagement with the Kantian cosmopolitan ideal and the significant implications this engagement holds for the contemporary understanding of cosmopolitanism.