Human Ancestry, Slavery and Reparative Justice

A speculative reflection on survival, historical acknowledgment and responsibility for repair. Could people alive today be, in part, the descendants of historical wrongdoers whose coercion and access to resources helped their lineages survive? This reflective essay examines that hypothesis without equating reproductive success with moral worth. It distinguishes genealogical descent from genetic inheritance and considers violence, cooperation, care, mixed ancestry and chance. It then applies these distinctions to transatlantic slavery, historical acknowledgment and reparative justice. The central argument rejects inherited personal guilt while recognising that institutional continuity, retained benefits and unresolved injuries can ground present responsibilities. Moral responsibility and enforceable legal liability are considered separately, alongside the evidence, participation and fairness needed to design reparative programmes. This essay developed from questions and reflections by Agostinho NP da Silva, with drafting, research support and editorial assistance from ChatGPT (OpenAI). It is a referenced reflective essay and has not undergone external peer review. Its moral arguments are interpretations, and its hypothetical examples are illustrative. The edition includes 17 references and is provided in PDF, EPUB and editable HTML formats under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).