thanks to James Crombie for rising in PHILOFHI the question of historical
responsibility in the practical (and economic!) aspect of current national
choices.
I agree with James concerning relation to slaves descedants but globally
the same question should be rised concerning relation of modern most
rich and most poor countries (peoples) in the world.
I see a paradox between almost globally accepted view of crucial harm of
colonialism for the native peoples and cultures of colonies (or wider -
periphery in w-system terms) and modern position of mainstream Western
establishment concerning aid to 'Third World'. It seems that the West helps
f.e. Africa or South America just for neutralizing possible social disasters,
mass hunger and epidemies, for restriction probable waves of mass immigration
to Western countries, but covering it by demagogical speeches of good will
and charity.
From my viewpoint it is by no means a question of charity but a question of
historical responsibility and moral-historical necessity for each Western
country to support its previous colonies (for Europe) or exploited post-
colonies (for USA). Russia has its own responsibility to Middle Asia (where
local authorities under pression from Moscow used almost full mass slavery
in cotton fields, not more than 10 years ago!), North-Caucasian peoples, small
peoples of Far North, etc.
My point is that philosophy of history must serv for connecting historical
knowledge, historical meanings with modern morals, policies and global
choices.
I maintain that moral responsibility of man, or a generation of
nation does not end with their death. Each of us, born and educated in a
definite country bears an invisible load of historical responsibility for
the sins of our fathers and all ancestors.
And nobody besides morally responsible historians, political economists
and philosophers of history cannot supply national and global, mass and
elitarian, political and macroeconomic consciousness with adequate knowledge
and understanding of this historical responsibility.
Comments?
Nikolai Rozov
> Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 17:15:44 -0300
> From: James Crombie <jcrombie@USTANNE.EDNET.NS.CA>
>
> To the extent that any of us now enjoys any kind of individual or collective
> wealth inherited from the past, some of this wealth may be the result of the
> exploitation of slaves. Perhaps an appropriate proportion of this wealth
> should now be directed back to appropriate causes. What is our choice in
> this matter?
> James Crombie
>
Nikolai S. Rozov
Professor of Philosophy
Moderator of the mailing list PHILOFHI
(PHILosophy OF HIstory and theoretical history)
http://darwin.clas.virginia.edu/~dew7e/anthronet/subscribe
/philofhi.html
Dept. of Philosophy
Novosibirsk State University Fax.: (3832) 355237
630090, Novosibirsk E-mail: rozov@cnit.nsu.ru
Pirogova 2
RUSSIA