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

Since the 1970s, there has been a persistent widening of wealth inequality. Inheritance is largely responsible for this: today, a small number of people inherit a great deal, while the majority inherit very little. Studied, questioned, and contested, the intergenerational transfer of wealth has been the subject of numerous proposals for reform or radical transformation. Is it fair that our fate should be determined by the fortune—or misfortune—of our parents? Is it even effective for wealth to be passed down through inheritance? Is inheritance a given? These age-old questions are once again highly topical.

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 research project—Philosophy of Inheritance—funded by the National Research Agency (ANR). Her work sheds light on an issue of social justice that is currently at the heart of public discourse. She is the author of *L’injustice en héritage* (2025), published by Éditions La Découverte.