Appiah is widely known as the Ethicist at the New York Times. He is now an honorary member of the Royal Society, a recent designation intended to honor scholars who do not have the body of scientific publications that most members do. The Royal Society honored his work in “many areas of philosophy and literary and cultural studies, beginning with doctoral work in the theory of meaning, ... the intellectual history of modern African ideas about race, culture and identity, [and] questions about global ethics, defending a ‘rooted cosmopolitanism.’”

Since retiring from Princeton, Appiah has taken a position as the Silver Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York University. He has also taught at Cornell, Duke, Harvard and Yale. His previous honors include an honorary fellowship at Clare College, Cambridge; the presidency of the American Academy of Arts and Letters; a National Humanities Medal presented by President Obama in 2012; and in May 2023, he delivered Princeton’s Baccalaureate address. He has a B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, both in philosophy.