Intergenerational Justice: Historical Perspectives, June 2, University of Exeter

Intergenerational Justice: Historical Perspectives
Workshop hosted by the Centre for Political Thought
University of Exeter
June 2nd, 2015
 
Questions of intergenerational justice lie at the center of political debate on a range of issues including climate change, pension reform, reparations for historical wrongs, and the preservation of cultural patrimony.  Yet, by a curious irony, political philosophical reflections on these topics have tended to bypass their historical forerunners, thereby cutting us off from traditions of thought that may prove illuminating.  The aim of this workshop is to bring a sample of these traditions to bear on the contemporary debate about intergenerational justice including, but not restricted to, Ancient Stoicism, Scottish Enlightenment moral psychology, and Burkean conservatism.  In so doing we will engage questions such as the following: Can the concept of justice be coherently applied to relations between generations? Is there something peculiarly modern about extending moral concern to future generations? Does an excessive preoccupation with tradition amount to an illegitimate enfranchisement of the dead?  Do the conditions of modern life inhibit our ability to sympathize with future generations and make sacrifices on their behalf?  
 
Participants will include: Dr. Ross Carroll (Exeter), Professor Alan Cromartie (Reading), Dr. Tim Fowler (Bristol), Professor Christopher Gill (Exeter), Professor Iain Hampsher-Monk (Exeter), Dr. Robert Jubb (Reading), Dr. Maeve McKeown (Oxford), Dr Joanne Paul (New College of the Humanities), and Dr. Paul Sagar (Cambridge). 
 
Registration is free though anyone interested in attending should contact Dr. Ross Carroll at r.carroll@exeter.ac.uk

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