Philosophy For Our Times Neighbours before strangers | Alain de Botton, Seyla Benhabib and Tommy Curry
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Mar 10, 2026 
Tommy Curry, Africana philosopher who critiques Enlightenment exclusions. Seyla Benhabib, political philosopher focused on democratic theory and migration. Alain de Botton, public philosopher exploring emotional intelligence and civic life. They debate universalism versus partiality, whether moral ideals ignore real loyalties, tensions in Kantian thought, and how national identity, migration, and in-group preference shape justice.
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Universalism Is A Deliberate Moral Ideal
- Moral universalism began as a deliberate overreach ideal rooted in Christian teaching that every human is equal.
- Alain de Botton argues ideals matter because they guide progress even if humans never fully live up to them, using the leper and Jesus example.
Prefer By Shared Values Not Borders
- Accept that we will have preferences but focus on better bases for preferring people, like shared ideas rather than arbitrary borders.
- Alain de Botton recommends preferring by intellectual, cultural, or moral affinities, not nationality.
Universal Dignity As A Regulative Political Idea
- Seyla Benhabib defends modern universalist commitment to equal worth and dignity as a regulative idea rooted in modernity and post-WWII institutions.
- She distinguishes moral principles from ethical life, arguing preferences (family, colleagues) must be mediated with universal rights.