The most recent episode of NetVUE’s podcast Callings brings listeners an interview with Kwame Anthony Appiah. One of the world’s most influential philosophers and public intellectuals, he writes about political philosophy, ethics, diversity and identity, the philosophy of language, and African intellectual history. Kwame was raised in Ghana, educated in England, and now is professor of philosophy and law at New York University. He is the author of many books and articles, including Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers and The Lies that Bind: Rethinking Identity, as well as the author of the popular “Ethicist” column for the New York Times Magazine, which offers advice on life’s trickiest situations and moral dilemmas. The winner of the 2024 John W. Kluge Prize for the Study of Humanity from the Library of Congress, Kwame currently serves as president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
In this episode, he shares both personal and professional aspects of a vocational journey that has carried him from Ghana to Britain, the United States, and beyond. He reflects on current challenges to liberal education, emphasizing the importance of teaching students how to think, even as he encourages them to value diversity. “I don’t think it’s my job,” he observes, “to tell my students what to think about politics or to pick sides. I don’t try to do that. I try to give them the tools for deciding for themselves.” Ultimately, he hopes today’s undergraduates will attend to the importance of being alert to life’s surprises and opportunities as they navigate their own vocational journeys.
Click hereto listen to the episode featuring Kwame Anthony Appiah, “Philosophy for Life.”
Geoffrey W. Bateman is the editor of Vocation Matters.