British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Posterity: Present concerns with the future
Monday, 3 December 2007
7 pm to 8.45pm, followed by a drinks reception
to be held a the British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1
A British Academy discussion evening convened and chaired by
David Lowenthal, FBA, University College London
Speakers:
Gillian Beer, FBA, University of Cambridge, Onora O'Neill, PBA, University of Cambridge and
Richard Norgaard, University of California, Berkeley
Posterity has been a prime concern of humanity, from biblical injunctions to be fruitful and multiply to current fears for planetary survival. Through surrogate and lineal descendants we outlive our mortal spans and transcend our mortal selves. From the mid-18th century on, articulate Westerners routinely looked to posterity both as cherished heirs and ultimate arbiters of their works. Faith in progress meant forgoing immediate rewards for the benefit of future generations.
In the past half century, attachment to posterity has suffered serious setbacks. Post-war social and economic debacles and looming ecological disaster have bred despair and anomie. Apocalyptic fears led some to query the rectitude of bringing children into a doomed world. From valued family mainstays, children became costly burdens and impediments to self-gratification. In the western world and the industralised east, women have fewer offspring later in life, and many remain childless altogether. Yet without hope for posterity, life becomes bleak and society self-destructs.
The speakers will explore current views of posterity in such contexts as justice and public trust, conservation and stewardship, obligations to distant others, welfare economics and inter-generational discount rates, and nuclear waste disposal.
Please note our registration and seating policy:
- Please register using the online booking form
- No tickets will be issued for this event
- The first 100 audience members arriving at the Academy will be offered a seat in our Lecture Room where this event will take place. The next 50 people to arrive will be offered a seat in our Overflow Room which has a video and audio link to the Lecture Room.