Satisfying Future People’s Basic Needs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36253/rifp-3687Keywords:
intergenerational sufficientarianism, intergenerational justice, sufficientarian perspective, basic needsAbstract
This paper explores the role of basic needs in theories of intergenerational justice, focusing on forms of intergenerational sufficientarianism that regard the satisfaction of basic needs as the primary moral obligation owed to future generations. The paper advocates for a moderately demanding view of basic needs and argues that each need should be linked with a range of potential “need satisfiers,” enabling future generations to choose how their needs are met. Including multiple satisfiers broadens the responsibilities of current generations and transforms traditional sufficientarian perspectives into a more demanding, quasi-sufficientarian framework of intergenerational justice.
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