Intergenerational justice

Intergenerational justice poses challenges for standard theories of justice and morality because it presupposes the absence of the usual interpersonal connections that explain moral relationships. Can one use the analogy of a contract between two parties that could not interact, or where one side has an ineradicable ability to impose nonreciprocal harm? Can one have obligations to improve the welfare of those who don't exist and whose potential existence is conditional on the actions proposed? This article explores the ways standard theories such as contractarianism, utilitarianism, and communitarianism accommodate the claims of future people. It explores issues such as the nonidentity problem and various ‘repugnant conclusions,’ before challenging the skeptics with a threshold conception of universalism that supports environmental sustainability.