Do I Owe Anything to the Future?

What do we owe people who do not yet exist? This episode begins with the “seventh generation” principle of the Iroquois Confederacy—evaluating decisions by their impact 150 years into the future—and asks why that standard feels so alien in a world structured around short-term gain. Drawing on virtue ethics and the technological warnings of Hans Jonas, we examine how modern power allows us to push real, irreversible costs forward in time, especially in the case of climate change and environmental instability. The argument is existential rather than sentimental: we are temporary stewards of systems we did not build. If the good life is more than private comfort, then responsibility must extend beyond our lifespan. The future may never know our names, but it will inherit the consequences of our choices.