PHIL 3000 Lecture 21: PRP 21
5 Dec 2018
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The obligations of citizens towards their country"s historical wrongs can be argued through two different perspectives. Those who follow libertarianism and individualism, argue that an individual cannot be held responsible for what the country did unless he/she chooses to assume that responsibility and thus do not have to correct the wrongs of their country. Such individuals argue that one"s moral and political obligations arise in two ways: natural duties which entail universal respect for persons and voluntary obligations which we choose to owe to others through a contract or promise. According to rawls, a free, moral person is one who is capable of choosing one"s own ends and is not bound by any history, tradition or inheritance that they have not chosen for themselves. On the contrary, communitarians argue that constructing all obligations on natural or voluntary obligations fails to acknowledge the obligation of membership, loyalty, or solidarity.
