Human Dignity and Future Generations - Prof. Marcus Düwell (Utrecht University)

This lecture touches upon an issue hardly discussed within the Human Dignity discourse – the human rights of future generations and the connection between such rights and the Human Dignity. In this regard, few major questions were examined: the justifications for caring about future generation's rights; the possible integrations between sustainability and the Human Rights regime; the non-identity problem and the question of the right to be born; and the problem of uncertainties that is inherent to the idea of an inter-generation rights protection. One of the main arguments presented in the lecture is that since the concept of Human Dignity reflects a basic commitment to humanity and to the creation of conditions necessary for persons to lead an autonomous life, one must come to the conclusion that the idea of Human Rights – founded upon Human Dignity – is valid for future generations as well.