CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2018
| Author | Gurmankin, Daniel Harris |
|---|---|
| Title | Sustainability and the Welfare of Future Generations |
| Summary | This project examines the implications of utilitarian morality for future generations. Utilitarianism defines welfare as the morally relevant subjective conditions of sentient beings and confers moral value to all people, both present and future, in equal measure. While the number of future people will likely far exceed the present population, it is unnecessary to set aside present resources exclusively for future welfare promotion. However, concern for future welfare does require us to meet present needs sustainably so that a wide range of resources remain available for future use. Governments, which are necessary to overcome collective action problems and provide public goods, share our common moral obligation to promote sustainability. Of particular concern is our present capitalist economic system of resource allocation, which is facilitating drastic increases in inequality and reducing the share of resources available to most people for welfare promotion; workplace automation is likely to exacerbate this. Without corrective intervention, this system will soon be insufficient to meet the needs of most people and is therefore unsustainable long-term. Concern for the welfare of future generations necessitates the provision of a redistributive universal basic income, which would counteract the economically deleterious effects of automation and ensure that all people—present and future—can enjoy sufficient economic security to promote their own welfare according to their subjective preferences. |
| Supervisor | Miklosi, Zoltan |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2018/gurmankin_daniel.pdf |
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