Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Ethics of Ageing
- Cambridge Handbooks in Philosophy
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Ethics of Ageing
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Ageing and the Good Life
- Part II Ageing and Morality
- Part III Ageing and Society
- 14 ‘To Grandmother’s House We Go’: On Women, Ethics, and Ageing
- 15 Ageing, Unequal Longevities and Intergenerational Justice
- 16 Ageing, Justice, and Work: Alternatives to Mandatory Retirement
- 17 Age and Well-Being: Ethical Implications of the U-Curve of Happiness
- 18 The Desirability and Morality of Life Extension
- References
- Index
15 - Ageing, Unequal Longevities and Intergenerational Justice
from Part III - Ageing and Society
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 August 2022
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Ethics of Ageing
- Cambridge Handbooks in Philosophy
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Ethics of Ageing
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Ageing and the Good Life
- Part II Ageing and Morality
- Part III Ageing and Society
- 14 ‘To Grandmother’s House We Go’: On Women, Ethics, and Ageing
- 15 Ageing, Unequal Longevities and Intergenerational Justice
- 16 Ageing, Justice, and Work: Alternatives to Mandatory Retirement
- 17 Age and Well-Being: Ethical Implications of the U-Curve of Happiness
- 18 The Desirability and Morality of Life Extension
- References
- Index
Summary
In this chapter, we will explore whether it is possible to account for the intuition that a contribution rate of the “active” population to the benefit of the elderly can be said to be unjustly high. This is one possible lens through which to look at issues of justice related to population ageing. The chapter follows three steps. First, it looks at issues of justice in case of a population with high longevity devoid of any heterogeneity in longevity. Second, it introduces unequal longevities within each birth cohort, without any increase in average longevity between birth cohorts. Third, it adds the fact of increasing average longevity over time. The chapter shows that the core problem faced by a high contribution rate – e.g. to fund pension schemes – is associated with heterogeneity in longevity, which can obtain even in the absence of population ageing. We even show that the latter surprisingly softens the dilemma faced by a theory of justice concerned with inequalities over complete lives between short-lived and long-lived individuals.
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- The Cambridge Handbook of the Ethics of Ageing , pp. 212 - 227Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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