The Inheritance of Wealth: Justice, Equality, and the Right to Bequeath

Halliday, Daniel

ISBN 10: 0198860005 / ISBN 13: 9780198860006

Published by Oxford Univ Pr, 2020

About this Item

235 pages. 8.50x5.50x0.50 inches. In Stock.

Seller Inventory # __0198860005

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Inheritance of Wealth: Justice, Equality, and the Right to Bequeath
• Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198860005
• ISBN 13: 9780198860006
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Brand New

About this title

Synopsis

Daniel Halliday examines the moral grounding of the right to bequeath or transfer wealth. He engages with contemporary concerns about wealth inequality, class hierarchy, and taxation, while also drawing on the history of the egalitarian, utilitarian, and liberal traditions in political philosophy. He presents an egalitarian case for restricting inherited wealth, arguing that unrestricted inheritance is unjust to the extent that it enables and enhances the intergenerational replication of inequality. Here, inequality is understood in a group-based sense: the unjust effects of inheritance are principally in its tendency to concentrate certain opportunities into certain groups. This results in what Halliday describes as 'economic segregation'. He defends a specific proposal about how to tax inherited wealth: roughly, inheritance should be taxed more heavily when it comes from old money. He rebuts some sceptical arguments against inheritance taxes, and makes suggestions about how tax schemes should be designed.

About the Author

Daniel Halliday, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Melbourne

Daniel Halliday teaches political philosophy at Melbourne University. He works mainly on topics relating to justice and political economy. He holds a PhD in philosophy from Stanford University.