Historical Redress: Must We Pay for the Past?Should the British Museum return the Elgin Marbles to Greece? Should settler societies in North America and Australasia compensate the aboriginal peoples whom they dispossessed? Should Israel have accepted Germany's compensation for Nazi extermination policies? The last twenty years have seen a remarkable surge of political and ethical interest in historical redress - that is, the righting of old wrongs. In this fascinating book, Richard Vernon argues that whatever the kind of redress that's at issue, and whether the wrong is large or small, an important philosophical issue arises. Exploring recent and high profile cases, Vernon focuses on the issue of responsibility. Responsibility isn't something inherited, like property or one's DNA. How, then, can it fall to one generation to make good the wrongs done by another? The book addresses all the main issues and arguments relating to justice, memory, apology and citizenship, and concludes by arguing for a forward-looking approach that focuses on the right of future generations to live just lives. |
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aboriginal African argument asbestosis atrocities basic believe benefit Bernhard Schlink British Cambridge University Press Canadian century certainly chapter claims colonialism compensation countries course cultural damage David Miller deceased demands deprivation descendants discussion dispossession duty effects Ethics example fact future give Hannah Arendt happened harm historical injustice historical redress human idea identity important interests Intergenerational Justice issue J. M. Coetzee Jeremy Waldron justified kind living loss majority society matter means memory moral nations objection obligations one’s oppression Oxford particular past injustice people’s perhaps person philosopher policies political systems present public apologies punishment question reason regime remedy reparations reparations for slavery responsibility right to clarity seems sense siege of Drogheda slavery slaves social someone sort suffered suppose surely survive Theory things true truth commissions Unjust Enrichment values victims violations W. G. Runciman Waldron wrong York