Irreversible Choices and Future Generations’ Rights

Abstract

The article revolves around the question whether, given some very “fundamental threats” to future generations’ living, their very conditions of survival can be construed as rights. The issue has to tackle the problem of the non-existence of the presumptive holders of such a right, as well as with the problem of their (non-)identity. The article shows the reasons for separating what we owe to future persons under the challenge of some fundamental threats for humanity from our will to hand down our cultural and ethical ideas of the good information and eventually from paternalistic or selfish imposition upon future generations of our irreversible choices. The framework refers essentially to a conceptual grammar of justice. Moreover, it is suggested to articulate rights through the lens of “disposability” and “non-disposability” principles.