ABSTRACT
A historical obligation is a moral responsibility belonging to citizens of a state, members of a family, or some other inter-generational group, in respect to commitments made, deeds done, or obligations incurred by their predecessors. From the mere fact that injustice was done in the past it does not follow that anyone now has an obligation to make restitution or that anyone is entitled to receive it. Right of possession does not by itself require that those who did no wrong make restitution for unjust dispossession. The problem with moral collectivism is that it simply assumes that it is morally legitimate to pass on obligations and entitlements from members of one generation to their successors. If uncertainty created by possibilities of choice is the reason for doubting that there is a fact of the matter that makes a counter-factual claim true, then this is so for every counterfactual statement about human action.
