Transgenerational Projects and Entangled Domination: Revisiting Autonomy in Radioactive Waste Management.

Abstract

This paper explores the ethical implications of long-term, transgenerational projects through the lens of neo-republican theory, focusing on the issue of intergenerational domination. Traditional accounts of intergenerational justice often emphasize one-directional influence from present to future generations. This study proposes a threefold generational framework-the current generation (CG), subsequent generations (SGs), and remote generations (RGs)-to better capture the temporal complexity and multi-layered dependencies that define transgenerational projects such as radioactive waste management. Building on the concept of projectual reciprocity, the paper argues that SGs do not merely receive pre-commitments from the CG but play a crucial role in the continuation or discontinuation of long-term projects, thereby holding a latent power over both the CG and RGs. This relational structure reveals a complex web of entangled dominations, where minimizing domination for one generational group may inadvertently increase it for another. Through comparative analysis of geological disposal and interim storage, the study critically reassesses the autonomy-related claims associated with each option and highlights the normative significance of reversibility and retrievability as mechanisms of intergenerational contestability. In this context, autonomy is redefined not as mere access to options, but as non-domination, following the neo-republican conception. The ethical concern lies not in the presence or absence of material harm per se, but in the extent to which RGs are structurally subordinated to the discretionary actions of their predecessors. By challenging conventional accounts of autonomy, the paper offers a revised framework for evaluating the legitimacy of transgenerational projects.