SOC 331 week 4 DQ 2

  

Ashford 5: – Week 4 – Discussion 2

Commutative Justice and the National Debt

  

   In Chapter 4 of the text, the author examines commutative justice across the   generations (see Section 4.5). This idea arises from the writings of British   political thinker Edmund Burke (1790):
 

  “Society is indeed a contract… a partnership in all art, a particular in   every virtue, and in all perfection. As the ends of such a partnership cannot   be obtained in many generations, it becomes a partnership not only between those   who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and   those who are to be born…” (Reflections on the French Revolution,   para. 165)
 

  Burke’s idea of a social contract between generations is often cited in   contemporary debates about the spiraling nation debt of the United States.   What do young and old citizens living today owe, as a matter of commutative   justice, to generations of citizens who are not yet born? Is it just for   today’s citizens to demand policies (e.g., low taxes and high levels of   government service) that create huge debts for future generations to pay?
 

  Your initial post must analyze the commutative justice issues of the national   debt. How can there be a social contract between citizens living today and   future, unborn citizens? What are its terms with respect to the national   debt? How is the perspective of many living citizens on this contract likely   to differ from the perspective of future, unborn citizens? What should we do   now to fulfill our obligations under this contract? How should this contract   be enforced?
 

  To help you successfully complete this discussion, review the following   required resources:

1. Debt, deficits,        and demographics: Why we can afford the social contract
2. Viewpoint: Why the        young should welcome austerity
3. A nation in debt:        How can we pay the bills?

   Your initial post should be at least 300 words in length. Support your claims   with examples from at least two of the required resources for this   discussion, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your   classmates’ posts by Day 7 whose viewpoints are different from yours. Each   peer response must be at least 125 words. Stimulate critical thinking by   contrasting your perspective with your classmate’s and explaining yours, or   by asking your classmate a question and explaining why your question is   significant.