Kwame Appiah's Essay 'The Case For Contamination'

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Opening of the Mind Through Appiah
Kwame Appiah’s essay titled “The Case for Contamination” in The New York Times magazine describes the role of religion through multiple extensive examples and analysis. It is obvious he believes that most of the cultures outside of the western society feel that western cultural influences are equivalent to some sort of toxin that is deadly to spiritual life. Appiah tries to reach out to those who are scared of change and allow them to see that globalization is not necessarily a bad thing (Appiah). I did not realize how close-minded I was until I have read the thoughts and ideas of Appiah multiple times. I am proud to say that there are multiple realizations I have received about religion and culture.
Appiah begins his essay describing …show more content…

As I read his explanation of this festival I automatically thought of this event being taken place a long time ago. Never would I imagine such events taking place normally in other parts of the world. In today’s Americanized society, I believe I have become so close-minded and unfamiliar with such events taking place among people who still talk about contemporary issues, wear suits and use cell phones just like we do. This addresses the idea that people can take in certain things from one culture without changing their religion or values, in which I completely agree on (Appiah). This was a big realization that came to me after reading this essay.
One of the key ideas that I did not agree fully on is Appiah's outlook on cultural preservation. He is right when he states how everyone has their free will to choose the path they want to walk (Appiah). However, we should want

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