Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2019

 

The Argumentation of Intergenerational Obligations

(Abstract)

 

Gan Shaoping

 

The moral norms and responsibilities shouldered by people of the present in relation to future generations cannot be defended by natural affection (since the latter are far distant from us) or by rational contract (since it is impossible for them to sign a binding reciprocal contract). In the absence of direct blood ties or binding contracts, our present unilateral responsibility for protecting people in the distant future rests on the following grounds. Firstly, man’s social nature determines that people today cannot completely banish moral concern and ethical considerations in relation to the welfare of future generations. Second, the ongoing generational chain and the concept of intergenerational transmission derived there from determines that people of the present day have a duty to preserve intact the material and spiritual gifts and wealth of their forebears and pass on them to future generations. Third, since the latter are also members of the human race, they should have the right to existence and the pursuit of happiness entailed in being human. These three points, based as they are on the social nature of man, build up a logical incremental argument and deductive chain of thought. Finally, within intergenerational obligations, justice is a pivotal analytical and expository feature. The intergenerational ethic provides an opportunity to showcase the theoretical character and immediate realization of this major ethical principle.