RESPONSIBILITTY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS – SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DON’T EXIST?
Keywords:
responsibility, future generations, ecological ethics, deontology, utilitarism, egoismAbstract
This paper represents an analysis of the problem of moral responsibility towards future generations, from the viewpoint of the main contemporary ethical perspectives, emphasizing their strengths and weaknesses. The author analyzes deontological and utilitarian theories while comparing them with the theory of egoism, which the liberal capitalism and contemporary consumer oriented society are based on. Securing maximum profit and technological advancement of the civilization, while trying to save the environment and biological diversity on the planet, is by far the most important challenge of ecological ethics. The main point of this paper is based on the critical analysis of the confronted ethical theories, trying to highlight the utmost significance of practical action toward saving the environment, and enabling future generations a chance for existence.
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