Startsida
“…restoring the dignity of the victims”. Is Global Rectificatory Justice Feasible?
Göran Collste
Present international relations were built up in the colonial period and colonialism still stamp the global order. So far the ethical discussion on global justice has focused on global distributive justice. This project focuses on global justice in terms of global rectificatory justice. The argument depends on the following premises: 1) there is a moral obligation to rectify the consequences of wrongful acts, 2) colonialism was on the whole harmful for the colonies, 3) the present unjust global structure was constituted by colonialism, and 4) the obligation of rectificatory justice is trans-generational so long as there are at present identifiable beneficiaries and victims of past injustice. However, the argument for global rectificatory justice raises objections that will be thoroughly analysed in the project: Can we assume a trans-generational responsibility? Does rectification for past wrongs not assume intractable contra factual assumptions? Who owns and who is owned rectification? Does global rectificatory justice add anything substantial to the moral implications of global distributive justice? How is rectificatory justice related to forgiveness and reconciliation?
The ethical discussion on global rectificatory justice also raises a number of more general questions of rectificatory justice. Hence, the project will focus on two interrelated questions: Is rectification a requirement for global justice? Is rectification for past wrongs morally justified?
Page responsible:
monica.wise@liu.se
Last updated: Tue Oct 02 16:55:11 CEST 2012
