4 ms·

Under what moral philosophy is it acceptable to hold people responsible for things they had no part in? Other than your abstract idea that "history should be fa

Under what moral philosophy is it acceptable to hold people responsible for things they had no part in? Other than your abstract idea that "history should be fair," do you have any justification for this idea?

greedo 3y ago
I had no part in interning Americans of Japanese descent during WW2. But I believe that the country I live in is responsible for addressing that wrong. And I feel the same about addressing the wrongs of slavery and racism that continue to this day.
- meowkit 3y ago
  > addressing that wrong How does one do that? You can't un-enslave, or un-intern, or un-commit atrocities, so your best bet is some >subjective< analog of recompense. Then who is to decide what is satisfactory compensation? You? Me? Voters? The government? Universities?
  - shadowgovt 3y ago
    > Voters? The government? Yep, those two.
    - dcow 3y ago
      "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury." --Alexander Fraser Tytler
      - greedo 3y ago
        Democracy is the worst of all forms of government, except for all the rest. So by your quote I'm to assume either you're a monarchist seeking a benevolent ruler, a socialist/communist, or an anarchist.
        dcow 3y ago
        No? I can point out an insightful quote as a warning and imply we’re not on a healthy path in our current system without espousing delusions of socialism…
      - shadowgovt 3y ago
        The democracy in the United States has gone on to outlive him by 210 years and has had a social security program for 88 of those years.
        dcow 3y ago
        His prediction was 300 years. Anyway I don't think it's until recently where we've really started voting ourselves money straight from the treasury. Time will tell whether that's sustainable.
        greedo 3y ago
        We've always voted money straight from the Treasury. Government contracts, government subsidies, you name it, it's been from Day 1. Every tax break we give is money that the Treasury could spend. Every "incentive" we provide is the same. The Whiskey Rebellion was Treasury money...
  - greedo 3y ago
    We decide as a country, the same way we decide that billionaires "deserve" large tax breaks. The way we decide to spend more on defense than our top 3 competitors combined. The way we decide to sell grazing, mineral, oil and gas rights for pennies on the dollar to companies seeking to "profit" off the natural resources of our country. We elect representatives in Congress and the WH, who based on public opinion in the form of voters decide.

greedo 3y ago

I had no part in interning Americans of Japanese descent during WW2. But I believe that the country I live in is responsible for addressing that wrong. And I feel the same about addressing the wrongs of slavery and racism that continue to this day.

meowkit 3y ago
> addressing that wrong How does one do that? You can't un-enslave, or un-intern, or un-commit atrocities, so your best bet is some >subjective< analog of recompense. Then who is to decide what is satisfactory compensation? You? Me? Voters? The government? Universities?
- shadowgovt 3y ago
  > Voters? The government? Yep, those two.
  - dcow 3y ago
    "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury." --Alexander Fraser Tytler
    - greedo 3y ago
      Democracy is the worst of all forms of government, except for all the rest. So by your quote I'm to assume either you're a monarchist seeking a benevolent ruler, a socialist/communist, or an anarchist.
      - dcow 3y ago
        No? I can point out an insightful quote as a warning and imply we’re not on a healthy path in our current system without espousing delusions of socialism…
    - shadowgovt 3y ago
      The democracy in the United States has gone on to outlive him by 210 years and has had a social security program for 88 of those years.
      - dcow 3y ago
        His prediction was 300 years. Anyway I don't think it's until recently where we've really started voting ourselves money straight from the treasury. Time will tell whether that's sustainable.
        greedo 3y ago
        We've always voted money straight from the Treasury. Government contracts, government subsidies, you name it, it's been from Day 1. Every tax break we give is money that the Treasury could spend. Every "incentive" we provide is the same. The Whiskey Rebellion was Treasury money...
- greedo 3y ago
  We decide as a country, the same way we decide that billionaires "deserve" large tax breaks. The way we decide to spend more on defense than our top 3 competitors combined. The way we decide to sell grazing, mineral, oil and gas rights for pennies on the dollar to companies seeking to "profit" off the natural resources of our country. We elect representatives in Congress and the WH, who based on public opinion in the form of voters decide.