Dead People and the All-Affected Principle

TY - JOUR

T1 - Dead People and the All-Affected Principle

AU - Bengtson, Andreas

PY - 2020/2

Y1 - 2020/2

N2 - Discussions of the all-affected principle as a solution to the boundary problem – how do we specify the group making democratic decisions? – have focused extensively on future people. We have yet to focus on dead people, however. This article tries to bridge this gap by arguing that the all-affected principle – i.e. the all actually affected interests principle – entails inclusion of dead people. This is true because dead people can be harmed or legally affected, and this is sufficient for having a claim to democratic inclusion. The last part of the article discusses where this leaves the all-affected principle in the quest for the proper boundary principle, including a discussion of possible institutional solutions to the enfranchisement of dead people.

AB - Discussions of the all-affected principle as a solution to the boundary problem – how do we specify the group making democratic decisions? – have focused extensively on future people. We have yet to focus on dead people, however. This article tries to bridge this gap by arguing that the all-affected principle – i.e. the all actually affected interests principle – entails inclusion of dead people. This is true because dead people can be harmed or legally affected, and this is sufficient for having a claim to democratic inclusion. The last part of the article discusses where this leaves the all-affected principle in the quest for the proper boundary principle, including a discussion of possible institutional solutions to the enfranchisement of dead people.

U2 - 10.1111/japp.12378

DO - 10.1111/japp.12378

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0264-3758

VL - 37

SP - 89

EP - 102

JO - Journal of Applied Philosophy

JF - Journal of Applied Philosophy

IS - 1

ER -