USP – Conférence : "Héritage : Affaire de famille ou question de justice ?"

Since the 1970s, we have observed a persistent widening of wealth inequality. Inheritance is largely responsible: a small number of people inherit vast sums while the majority inherit very little. Studied, questioned, and contested, the family transmission of wealth has been the subject of numerous reform or radical transformation projects. Is it fair that our destiny be determined by the fortune—or misfortune—of our parents? Is it even efficient for wealth to be passed down hereditarily? Is inheritance a given? These age-old questions are once again highly relevant.

Mélanie Plouviez is a philosopher, professor at the University of Côte d'Azur, and director of the Center for Research in the History of Ideas (CRHI). A specialist in social and political philosophy, she coordinates the PHILHERIT / Philosophy of Inheritance research project, funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR). Her work sheds light on a social justice issue that is currently at the heart of the public sphere. She is the author of * Injustice as Inheritance* (2025), published by La Découverte.