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Neither justice nor charity? Kant on ‘general injustice’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Kate A. Moran
Kate A. Moran*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
*
Email: kmoran@brandeis.edu
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Abstract

We often make a distinction between what we owe as a matter of repayment, and what we give or offer out of charity. But how shall we describe our obligations to fellow citizens when we are in a position to be charitable because of a past injustice on the part of the state? This essay examines the moral implications of past injustice by considering Immanuel Kant’s remarks on this phenomenon in his lectures and writings. In particular, it discusses the role of the state and the individual in addressing the problem.

Keywords

Kant, Immanuelgeneral injusticevirtuerestitutionequity

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Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 47 , Issue 4 , 2017 , pp. 477 - 498
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Journal of Philosophy 2016

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