Question 1

We morally wrong a future person if we act now to make their existence impossible, for that denies them existence-the most important interest they can have.

Accepted Answer

The concept of moral wrongness in this context is debated in philosophy. Some argue that non-existent beings cannot have interests or be wronged, as they do not exist to have interests or rights.

Question 2

No obligation toward future people can take precedence over an obligation toward our contemporaries, since our "distance" from them weakens our obligations to them.

Accepted Answer

The moral obligation toward future generations can be considered equally important as those toward contemporaries, as ethical considerations often include the well-being of future people.

Question 3

Terrorists who launch a missile that immediately kills millions are doing wrong. However, they do not do wrong by launching a missile that will kill people two centuries from now, since those people do not presently exist.

Accepted Answer

The argument is based on the idea that it is only wrong to kill people who currently exist. Since the people who will be killed by the missile two centuries from now do not currently exist, it is not wrong to launch the missile.

Question 4

It is not possible for us to have any moral obligations toward indeterminate future persons.

Accepted Answer

We can have moral obligations toward future persons by considering the impact of our actions on future generations, even if their identities are not yet determined.

Question 5

It is not possible to wrong persons who remain forever non-actual.

Accepted Answer

It is not possible to wrong persons who remain forever non-actual because they do not exist and therefore cannot be harmed.

Question 6

Since acting to preclude the existence of all future persons cannot wrong any such persons, doing this cannot commit any sort of moral wrong.

Accepted Answer

The argument assumes that moral wrongs are only committed against existing individuals, ignoring broader ethical considerations such as potential rights of future persons and the impact on humanity's continuity.

Question 7

Imagine that all humanity chooses to have no more children and so blocks the existence of a later generation. This commits no wrong against any of the children that would otherwise have come into existence.

Accepted Answer

Since the children never come into existence, they cannot be wronged as they do not have a state of being to experience harm or benefit.

Question 8

Although we have obligations to ensure the welfare of both future generations and present people, their interests often conflict.

Accepted Answer

Conflicts can arise between the needs of current populations and the sustainability required for future generations, such as resource consumption and environmental impact.

Question 9

Weightier obligations to future people can take moral precedence over less weighty obligations to present people.

Accepted Answer

Moral philosophy often argues that the severity of an obligation can outweigh its temporal context, meaning that more significant obligations to future generations can be prioritized over less significant ones to current individuals.

Question 10

We may still have other obligations toward future generations even when we are unable to keep from harming them by doing something we have no choice about now.

Accepted Answer

We have ethical responsibilities to future generations, which may include minimizing harm or compensating for unavoidable negative impacts, even if we cannot avoid certain actions now.

Quiz 19: Obligations to Future Generations