Ethiek, kolonialisme en het Britse koloniale verleden

The present article offers a broad and critical discussion of Nigel Biggar’s important and controversial book on the ethics of the British (and European) colonial past. Firstly, the book’s thesis that ‘anti-colonialist’ critics are wrong to regard British colonialism as essentially racist, exploitative, and violent, is presented. Next, after a brief philosophical introduction on the moral evaluation of colonialism, Biggar’s book is summarized. Then, three broad points are made regarding Biggar’s moral-historical assessment: (i) its ethical framework lacks a substantial empathetic element; (ii) it succeeds in sowing doubts about the ‘anti-colonialist’ case, but without really making British colonialism justified thereby; (iii) it tends to condone the serious injustice of British colonialism. Finally, it is concluded that, philosophically, Biggar’s book offers little more than a limited starting-point for the task of reckoning morally with European colonialism.