Justice for future generations is a common topic in current political philosophy. But why do we owe anything to future, non non-yet living people? This paper aims to critically reconstruct the main arguments of Matthias Fritsch’s recent study Taking Turns with the Earth. For this, I try to illustrate Fritsch’s main point, namely that we need an alternative ontology of time and space. I then follow Fritsch in his examination of Levinas’ work and consider which precursors the ontology of temporality presented here may have in the philosophical and religious tradit ion. In addition, I reconstruct how Fritsch then then—primarily with recourse to the works of Derrida Derrida—develops his two models of intergenerational justice, namely the “asymmetrical reciprocity model” and the “turn -taking model”. My evaluation of the basic purpo se of the book is very positive. However, critical questions may arise with regard to how much time is actually left for such a rethinking on an ontological level. Further, we might also wonder to what extent the idea of taking turns could be further devel oped as a model for discursive exchange to generate concrete norms of action.
