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ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Uppsala Studies in Social Ethics 36 ACTA UNIVERSITATIS UPSALIENSIS Uppsala Studies in Social Ethics 36 LARS LÖFQUIST ETHICS BEYOND FINITUDE RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS FUTURE GENERATIONS AND NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT Uppsala 2008 Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Room IX, University Main Building, Uppsala, Friday, May 9, 2008 at 10:15 for the degree of Doctor of Theology. The examination will be conducted in English. Abstract Löfquist, L. 2008. Ethics Beyond Finitude. Responsibility towards Future Generations and Nuclear Waste Management. Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis. Uppsala Studies in Social Ethics 36. 279 pp. Uppsala. ISBN 978-91-554-7140-8. This dissertation has three aims: 1. To evaluate several ethical theories about responsibility towards future generations. 2. To construct a theory about responsibility towards future generations. 3. To carry out an ethical evaluation of different nuclear waste management methods. Five theories are evaluated with the help of evaluative criteria, primarily: A theory must provide future generations with some independent moral status. A theory should acknowledge moral pluralism. A theory should provide some normative claims about real-world problems. Derek Parfit’s theory provides future generations with full moral status. But it is incompatible with moral pluralism, and does not provide reasonable normative claims about real-world problems. Brian Barry’s theory provides such claims and a useful idea about risk management, but it does not provide an argument why future generations ought to exist. Avner de-Shalit’s theory explains why they ought to exist; however, his theory can not easily explain why we ought to care for other people than those in our own community. Emmanuel Agius’ theory gives an ontological explanation for mankind’s unity, but reduces conflicts of interests to a common good. Finally, Hans Jonas’ theory shifts the focus from the situation of future generations to the preconditions of human life generally. However, his theory presupposes a specific ontology, which might be unable to motivate people to act. The concluding chapters describe a narrative theory of responsibility. It claims that we should comprehend ourselves as parts of the common story of mankind and that we ought to provide future generations with equal opportunities. This implies that we should avoid transferring risks and focus on reducing the long-term risks associated with the nuclear waste. Keywords: Future generations, Nuclear waste, Ethics, Applied ethics, Narrative theory, Self-transcendence, Moral status, Equal opportunities Lars Löfquist, Department of Theology, Ethics and Philosophy of Religion, Box 511, Uppsala University, SE-75120 Uppsala, Sweden © Lars Löfquist 2008 ISSN 0346-6507 ISBN 978-91-554-7140-8 urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-8632 (http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-8632) Printed in Sweden by Edita Västra Aros, Västerås 2008 Distributor: Uppsala University Library, Box 510, SE-751 20 Uppsala www.uu.se, [email protected] Contents Acknowledgments................................................................................ 9 Introduction........................................................................................ 11 Why Responsibility towards Future Generations?........................ 11 Is Responsibility towards Future Generations Unnecessary? ....... 13 Why Responsibility towards Future Generations still Seems to Matter ............................................................................................ 14 Aims .............................................................................................. 17 How to Understand Future Generations? ...................................... 18 Research Material.......................................................................... 21 Method .......................................................................................... 24 1) Analytic Questions ............................................................... 26 2) Evaluative Criteria................................................................ 28 3) Nuclear Waste Management ................................................ 30 Research Context........................................................................... 31 Previous Research ......................................................................... 33 Nuclear Waste and Ethics ............................................................. 39 Outline........................................................................................... 40 1. Well-being and Populations........................................................... 44 Introduction .............................................................................. 44 Background: Consequentialism and Utilitarianism .................. 44 Parfit and The Project of Reasons and Persons ........................ 49 Parfit’s Theory and Responsibility to Future Generations............ 53 Justification for Responsibility ................................................. 53 Values ....................................................................................... 56 Population Principles................................................................ 57 Practical Questions ................................................................... 61 Evaluation of Parfit’s Theory........................................................ 64 Consequentialism and Future Generations ............................... 64 Impersonal and Person-affecting Value.................................... 65 Responses to the Repugnant Conclusion.................................. 69 Parfit and Normative Claims .................................................... 72 Parfit’s Answers to Practical Questions.................................... 75 Parfit’s Theory and Nuclear Waste ............................................... 77 Conclusion..................................................................................... 78 2. Posterity, Equality and Justice ....................................................... 80 Introduction .............................................................................. 80 Background: Contract-theory and Justice................................. 81 Barry’s Critique of Different Theories of Justice and Their Approach to Responsibility towards Future Generations ......... 87 Barry’s Theory and Responsibility to Future Generations............ 90 Justification for Responsibility ................................................. 90 Values ....................................................................................... 94 Equal Opportunities.................................................................. 97 Practical Questions ................................................................. 100 Evaluation of Barry’s Theory...................................................... 102 Fundamental Equality and Future Generations ...................... 102 Values and Contingent People................................................ 103 Equal Opportunities for Well-being ....................................... 104 Equal Opportunities for Resources......................................... 107 Barry’s Answers to Practical Questions ................................. 108 Barry’s Theory and Nuclear Waste............................................. 110 Conclusion................................................................................... 111 3. The Transgenerational Community ............................................. 114 Introduction ............................................................................ 114 Background: Communitarianism............................................ 115 Intergenerational Justice and Community .............................. 117 de-Shalit’s Theory and Responsibility to Future Generations..... 123 Justification for Responsibility ............................................... 123 Values ..................................................................................... 124 What We Owe Members and Strangers.................................. 128 Practical Questions ................................................................. 130 Evaluation of de-Shalit’s Theory ................................................ 131 The Limits of the Community and Future Generations.......... 131 Why Act Humanely? .............................................................. 133 Deliberative Process and the Extension of the Community.... 135 Resource Distribution and Community .................................. 137 Positive and Negative Obligations.......................................... 138 de-Shalit’s Answers to Practical Questions............................ 140 de-Shalit’s Theory and Nuclear Waste........................................ 141 Conclusion................................................................................... 142 4. The Common Good of Mankind.................................................. 144 Introduction ............................................................................ 144 Background: Whitehead’s Metaphysics ................................. 145 Agius’ Social Ethical Theory.................................................. 148 Agius’ Theory and Responsibility to Future Generations........... 152 Justification for Responsibility ............................................... 152 Values ..................................................................................... 154 Responsibility and Collective Rights...................................... 157 Practical Questions ................................................................
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