Abstract
In this article, our focus is on the topic of engagement and possibility of empathy with future generations. We acknowledge that empathy for future generations is practically unattainable in its strictest sense due to the lack of access to their potential mental states and the absence of direct interaction. Additionally, we will draw upon the arguments presented by Goldie and Slaby to address concerns regarding the potential paternalization that may arise in empathic relations towards future generations. However, despite these limitations, it is important to emphasize that we are still engaged with future generations. Instead of adopting a paternalizing approach where we impose expectations on how they should feel, our engagement exposes us to the anticipated but unknown judgments of future generations. Throughout this article, we will argue that engagement with future generations brings out our own social self-consciousness and provides a basis of our connectedness and responsibility towards future generations.
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Notes
As Szanto argues, there is certainly a difference between Stein’s account and those who argue that collective emotions are constituted by normativity, such as the argument provided by Gilbert (2014). For Gilbert, the emergence of collective emotions is due to normativity or joint commitments between the parties. For Stein, emotional sharing is already at play at a more basic, non-normative level of affectivity (Szanto 2015: 518).
Nevertheless, one could argue for intergenerational reciprocity, particularly if we include relations with past generations (see Fritsch 2018: 91ff).
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Cvejić, I., Plećaš, T. & Bojanić, P. Engagement with Future Generations: Unfulfilled Empathy. Topoi 43, 49–54 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-024-10009-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-024-10009-y