On the Problem of Inherited Wealth in Political Philosophy: Replies to Macleod, Barry, Braun, Wolff and Fleischer

Introduction

10.1093/oso/9780198803355.003.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Halliday

Keyword(s):

Political Philosophy ◽

Twentieth Century ◽

Private Property ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Moral Significance ◽

Philosophical Inquiry ◽

Inherited Wealth ◽

To Come ◽

Relative Scarcity ◽

Over Time

This chapter lays out the main intellectual motivations for a philosophical inquiry into the moral significance of inherited wealth. It is argued that the problem of how to regulate inheritance should be approached as an open and difficult question. Yet it is one that must be answered if we are to reach any determinate view about how to regulate inequality and private property over time (as opposed to within single generations). The chapter also seeks to highlight and account for the relative scarcity of sustained discussions of inherited wealth in political philosophy since the mid-twentieth century. Further motivation for the project is taken from a brief review of recent empirical studies that highlight an apparent growth in large inheritance flows that are concentrated into a relatively small portion of the population. The chapter also provides a brief overview of the main arguments to come in the remainder of the book.

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Inheritance in Early Liberal Writings

10.1093/oso/9780198803355.003.0002 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Daniel Halliday

Keyword(s):

Political Philosophy ◽

John Locke ◽

Industrial Revolution ◽

John Stuart Mill ◽

Social Hierarchy ◽

Economic Conditions ◽

Historical Survey ◽

Gradual Evolution ◽

Inherited Wealth ◽

History Of

This chapter surveys discussions of inherited wealth from John Locke to John Stuart Mill. Attention is paid to the gradual evolution of argument, driven in part by the way in which successive thinkers were able to take into account the emerging effects of the Industrial Revolution. Themes in early liberal perspectives on inheritance include concerns about the inefficiency of dynastic wealth concentrations, social hierarchy, and idleness. In addition to providing a historical survey that will be of interest to readers wishing to study the history of political philosophy, the chapter also seeks to identify which elements of the views expressed retain philosophical force and which have become outdated in view of changes in economic conditions and the nature of capital.

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