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"An accident of birth placed them in a wealthy family and they’ve benefited from that their whole life." Is this what our connection to our parents and ancesto

"An accident of birth placed them in a wealthy family and they’ve benefited from that their whole life." Is this what our connection to our parents and ancestors, and their lifelong effort to offer their children a better life, has been reduced to? An accident of birth? Personally, I find this attitude sickening.

pavlov 10y ago
From the point of view of purely individual achievement, it indeed is an accidental circumstance. I would be in favor of capped inheritance -- for example, $1 million USD or 1% of the net worth of the deceased, whichever is higher. For inheritances below that limit, a progressive tax. I don't see why anyone would need more than a million as a "nest egg", especially considering how lifespans are extending and the inheritor might be 70 years old at the time of the parent's death. Also, less hoarding would lead to more investment and more economic growth. I have no idea how this plan could actually be implemented for private corporations whose stock can't be easily liquidated to pay for taxes. So this is not a real political suggestion, rather a random vague idea of what would feel "just" to me.
- DarkKomunalec 10y ago
  "From the point of view of purely individual achievement, it indeed is an accidental circumstance." Yet there's precious little of purely individual achievement. From the upbringing and help you get from your parents, the safety and convenience of the town you grow up in, the education system you benefit from, to the health system that takes care of you when you're sick, as well as makes sure the food you buy is safe for consumption. Whether paid for by taxes, or out of your (parents') pocket, these are all systems there to help you, built by the society you live in, in most cases also your ancestors, so their children would be better off. To turn your back on all this work and claim it's just an accident of birth is the pinnacle of ungratefulness. Should we take this line of thought to its logical conclusion, and randomly reassign children to different parents, in different countries, to do away with all inheritance, not just private inheritance?
FabHK 10y ago
It's not to trivialise the emotional bond between parents and offspring, rather to point out that it is luck (accidental) that places offspring in one rather than the other family, in one rather than the other country.

pavlov 10y ago

From the point of view of purely individual achievement, it indeed is an accidental circumstance. I would be in favor of capped inheritance -- for example, $1 million USD or 1% of the net worth of the deceased, whichever is higher. For inheritances below that limit, a progressive tax. I don't see why anyone would need more than a million as a "nest egg", especially considering how lifespans are extending and the inheritor might be 70 years old at the time of the parent's death. Also, less hoarding would lead to more investment and more economic growth. I have no idea how this plan could actually be implemented for private corporations whose stock can't be easily liquidated to pay for taxes. So this is not a real political suggestion, rather a random vague idea of what would feel "just" to me.

DarkKomunalec 10y ago
"From the point of view of purely individual achievement, it indeed is an accidental circumstance." Yet there's precious little of purely individual achievement. From the upbringing and help you get from your parents, the safety and convenience of the town you grow up in, the education system you benefit from, to the health system that takes care of you when you're sick, as well as makes sure the food you buy is safe for consumption. Whether paid for by taxes, or out of your (parents') pocket, these are all systems there to help you, built by the society you live in, in most cases also your ancestors, so their children would be better off. To turn your back on all this work and claim it's just an accident of birth is the pinnacle of ungratefulness. Should we take this line of thought to its logical conclusion, and randomly reassign children to different parents, in different countries, to do away with all inheritance, not just private inheritance?

FabHK 10y ago

It's not to trivialise the emotional bond between parents and offspring, rather to point out that it is luck (accidental) that places offspring in one rather than the other family, in one rather than the other country.