Intergenerational justice concerns what is owed between members of different generations, including what we existing today owe those who will come to exist in the future. This subfield has become increasingly important in recent years; however, due to the absence of coexistence and other aspects of the intergenerational context, it is often unclear whether and how many ideals of justice apply.
Relational egalitarianism – the view that justice requires eliminating certain forms of social hierarchy and realising certain kinds of equal social relationships – may appear particularly problematic in this regard, focused as it is on the quality of social relations. The chapters in this volume examine and take up this issue, with some authors developing and characterising the challenge, showing more precisely what is at stake, whilst others chart possible ways of resisting the challenge. Contributors explore temporal non-overlap arguments, institutional status frameworks, social categories, and power relations across generations.
Essential reading for political philosophers, moral theorists, and scholars of democratic theory examining the intersection of equality and intergenerational obligations. The volume advances understanding of both intergenerational justice and relational egalitarianism, offering rich insights for academic researchers and advanced students in political philosophy, ethics, and social theory. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: relational equality and intergenerational justice 1. How should relational egalitarians think of social relations? Intergenerational justice and the argument from temporal non-overlap 2. The intergenerational justice dilemma for relational egalitarians 3. Do we have relational reasons to care about intergenerational equality? 4. Relational egalitarianism, future generations, and arguments from overlap 5. Making the future safe for relational equality: social categories and intergenerational justice 6. Social relations, institutional status, and future people 7. Power and future people’s freedom: intergenerational domination, a role-based model
About the Author :
Devon Cass is a Junior Researcher at the Nova University of Lisbon. He works on theories of social and intergenerational justice, with particular focus on relational egalitarianism and republicanism. He received his PhD from the Australian National University in 2021 and has since been a researcher at the University of Manchester, UCLouvain, as well as the Nova University of Lisbon. Originally from British Columbia, Canada, Devon completed his MA in Philosophy at Simon Fraser University and his BA in Philosophy and Political Science at McGill University. His recent papers appear in journals such as Philosophical Studies, Politics, Philosophy & Economics, Res Publica, Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, and Law and Philosophy.
Andre Santos Campos is an Assistant Professor at the Nova University of Lisbon. His research concentrates on issues that connect contemporary political theory with jurisprudence and intellectual history, such as democratic theory and intergenerational justice. Among other works, he is the author of Spinoza’s Revolutions in Natural Law (2012) and The Semi-Future Democracy. A Liberal Theory of the Long-Term View (2024).
