Justice for Future Generations

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Understanding justice for future generations has emerged as one of the most significant challenges in ethical and political philosophy, particularly given the rapidly escalating environmental crises confronting the world. Unfortunately, many of the best-known traditional and modern accounts of justice fail badly when addressing the environment. The asymmetrical power relations between present and future generations render familiar notions of reciprocity, fairness, and reasonable agreement difficult to apply. Based on his recent book The Happiness Philosophers: The Lives and Works of the Great Utilitarians (Princeton University Press, 2017), Bart Schultz highlights several reasons why the views of the classical utilitarians, who championed the “greatest happiness of the greatest number,” may hold more promise in this area than rival ethical and political approaches.