Article: “The Case for Contamination” by Kwame Anthony Appiah

In “The Case for Contamination” the author Kwame Appiah analyzes and points out the many ways in which the world is becoming globalized. He uses many extensive examples to show that the world is getting ‘contaminated’. By ‘contamination’ he means that the mixture of all the innovative values and traditions are damaging and eventually destroying what our ancestors have left us. In his analysis, he describes the gradual transformation of many cultures and different religions to support his points but in his personal opinion he is very open-minded and is not greatly influenced by his religion. His tone is informative and gives the reader the freedom to decide between
In addition, individualism is a very important concept since each person intrinsically will choose the proper path that best ‘fits’ his own life and beliefs. Inevitably, there will always be innovations throughout cultures and religions, what we see now as authentic was once an innovation as with the kente cloths used in Ghana that “was once an innovation” (Appiah 3). Thus, in the future the innovations that are considered a contamination to old traditions will eventually be the tradition for the next generations. As Appiah indicated that “cultures are made of continuities and changes, and the identity of a society can survive through these changes. Societies without change aren’t authentic; they’re just dead” (Appiah 3).
Furthermore, in Appiah’s analysis one of the main consequences produced by globalization is the emergence of prominent leaders. Several religions including Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam among others have been instituted due to one individual with great ‘charisma’, which in this case are, Zoroaster, Jesus, Buddha and Muhammad respectively. The famous sociologist Max Weber identified these founders as charismatic leaders that posses distinct characteristics including “supernatural, superhuman, or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities” (Livingston 131). Likewise, when exposed with the beauty of West attractively providing the opportunity for success, young ones will certainly want