Limitarianism and future generations

Abstract

This chapter asks what role limitarianism can play in theorizing justice between generations. Do intergenerational challenges give us additional reasons to embrace limitarianism? Taking economic limitarianism as a starting point, I argue that both the democratic argument and the argument from basic needs have considerable intergenerational traction, but the latter raises difficult questions for limitarians. I also argue that economic limitarianism cannot offer a full account of intergenerational justice, due to its focus on individual and monetary holdings. We could design a more comprehensive limitarianism in response to these worries, but only at the cost of the appeal and distinctiveness of limitarianism. The last section somewhat speculatively develops a Rawls-inspired account of intergenerational limitarianism which stays true to the focus on monetary wealth, but with clear environmental implications.