Historical inequality
Max Franklin Davis
Throughout history there have been many inequalities which would not and should not be accepted in a modern-day society. However, now that many of these inequalities have been eradicated, many people question whether it is the responsibility of people alive today, mainly the ancestors of historical oppressors, to attempt to correct inequality in the past. Correcting implies that the action taken tomake up for historical inequalities should aim to make oppressed groups as well off as they would have been if it weren’t for historical inequality, as many are still feeling the effects of past oppression today. An effort to make up for past wrongs and to achieve equality (at least of opportunity) is undoubtedly morally a good thing. However, issues arise as to who should correct the mistakes of whom, and who should benefit from these reparations or policies. The ancestors of historical oppressors have done nothing wrong themselves, and many ancestors of those who were oppressed in the past have suffered little oppression themselves, so individuals are naturally hesitant to correct the mistakes of their ancestors. Even governments could argue that they are different entities entirely than the ones responsible for wrongs committed up to hundreds of years ago, and so can deny their share of responsibility just as fiercely as individuals. The question of whether those alive today are responsible for correcting historical inequality is a complicated one, and the complexity of who has a duty to correct past mistakes has led to little action being taken around the world, but this essay will attempt to break down and discuss whether people today have a responsibility to correct past inequalities, and who specifically the responsibility should fall on. One of the main arguments against correcting past inequalities is the non-identity problem. It stands to reason that the fairest way to correct mistakes of the past is to compensate the ancestors of those oppressed, and that the aim of any attempt to correct past inequalities should be to make them as well off as they would have been without the historical inequality. However, it is impossible to tell the quality of life someone would have if a different course of events had taken place, and it is extremely unlikely, if not impossible, that that exact individual would actually exist today if it weren’t for identical historical events taking place. It can be argued, in philosophy, that someone's personal identity is only what it is because of the exact experiences that they and all their ancestors have been through, as all of these events influence the choices and personality traits of them and those before them. So, in an alternative course of events, it is highly unlikely that an individual whose ancestors suffered from inequality would exist in any form similar to who they are today. This is most obvious in the historical oppression of black slaves, as many African Americans today would not exist if their ancestors had not been taken to another country hundreds of years ago. This makes it impossible to gauge how much should be done to correct the past inequality as people who are suffering from the legacy of it could be even worse off today or even not exist in an alternative timeline. Furthermore, it can also be argued that correcting past inequality, whichwould undoubtably be a costly process, may actually work to slow down change in the future. In the present day, equality in society is improving and many things that weren't acceptable thirty years ago are today. Many people in present day can see that an increase in the rights of a group or a movement towards greater equality is a good thing, and there is currently little resistance towards the improving rights of, for example, the LGBT
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