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Interdisciplinary Courses | ||||||||
Intergenerational Justice
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Janie Steckenrider Professor of Political Science Loyola Marymount University |
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What do children owe their elders? This is the central question of intergenerational justice and the theme that this course pondered.
Age-related programs comprise more than one-third of the federal budget, with Social Security and Medicare as the behemoths. For decades few questioned the obligation and responsibility of the younger and future generations to support and subsidize the current generation of elders. Today, however, intergenerational justice must confront the considerable debt being imposed on future generations who cannot participate in the current political debate. This course explored intergenerational justice with a focus on the political, theological and philosophical assumptions of obligation across generations; the responsibilities of current leaders in deciding policies that mortgage future generations as these leaders eye their own re-election; the role of the political parties and their willingness to favor short-term goals; and the love-hate relationship between the Boomerang Babies and the aging Baby Boomers.
The course familiarized students with some of the policies that will affect them throughout their lives—entitlements, including health and retirement benefits, and fiscal debt. As future leaders, students should understand how moral and ethical reasoning affects policy decisions and their future.
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