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    The Social Contract

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    caitobyrne3412
    The document discusses the Social Contract Theory of morality. It proposes that in a hypothetical "state of nature" without social influences, humans would be rational, self-interested agents in a state of constant fear and danger. To escape this dangerous state, rational individuals would agree to a social contract establishing moral rules to govern their interactions for mutual benefit. The state's role would then be to enforce this social contract. Questions are raised about how this theory differs from others, whether the state of nature is realistic, and what agents in that state would truly be like.

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    The Social Contract

    Uploaded by

    caitobyrne3412
    62 views2 pages
    The document discusses the Social Contract Theory of morality. It proposes that in a hypothetical "state of nature" without social influences, humans would be rational, self-interested agents in a state of constant fear and danger. To escape this dangerous state, rational individuals would agree to a social contract establishing moral rules to govern their interactions for mutual benefit. The state's role would then be to enforce this social contract. Questions are raised about how this theory differs from others, whether the state of nature is realistic, and what agents in that state would truly be like.

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    The document discusses the Social Contract Theory of morality. It proposes that in a hypothetical "state of nature" without social influences, humans would be rational, self-interested agents in a state of constant fear and danger. To escape this dangerous state, rational individuals would agree to a social contract establishing moral rules to govern their interactions for mutual benefit. The state's role would then be to enforce this social contract. Questions are raised about how this theory differs from others, whether the state of nature is realistic, and what agents in that state would truly be like.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    62 views2 pages

    The Social Contract

    Uploaded by

    caitobyrne3412
    The document discusses the Social Contract Theory of morality. It proposes that in a hypothetical "state of nature" without social influences, humans would be rational, self-interested agents in a state of constant fear and danger. To escape this dangerous state, rational individuals would agree to a social contract establishing moral rules to govern their interactions for mutual benefit. The state's role would then be to enforce this social contract. Questions are raised about how this theory differs from others, whether the state of nature is realistic, and what agents in that state would truly be like.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    The Social Contract

    Recall: We are currently continuing to examine humanist options for morality. The question then is what
    is the natural property that we appeal to in order to derive morality?

    Egoism: Desire to achieve our own happiness.


    Utilitarianism: Desire for overall happiness.
    Kant: Rationality.

    The Social Contract Theory: In order to best judge our natural properties, we should look at ourselves in
    a state of nature. That is, free from social influences.

    The Hobbesian Vision

    In the state of nature we are rational, self-interested agents.

    It is a state of complete freedom and there is no morality—in such a condition, every man has a
    right to every thing; even to one another’s body. RT, 61

    It is a state of scarcity.

    Our existence is one of continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary,
    poor, nasty, brutish, and short. RT, 59

    Only through contract can we escape such a condition.


    Our nature as rational self-interested agents ensures that we will make such a contract. (Rational = utility
    maximizer)

    The Big Picture

    Morality is like the rules of a game. We all get together and determine those rules.

    “Morality consists in the set of rules, governing how people are to treat one another; that rational
    people will agree to accept, for their mutual benefit, on the condition that others follow those rules
    as well.” EMP, 145

    The state is then justified as the enforcer of the contract. (Prevents the continuation of the state of
    war and free-riders.)

    An action is right if and only if it is permitted by the social contract.

    Consider the Prisoner’s Dilemma

    Questions or Objections

    How does this differ from CR?


    Rational Legislation vs. Irrational Prejudice
    From our true nature vs. From social influence
    The state of nature is a historical fiction.
    Some are in the state of nature today
    Claim is not, what did we agree to, but what would we agree to
    Implicit agreement

    What about those who cannot participate in the contract?


    Animals
    Severely Disabled
    Future Generations
    Nature

    What are agents in this state of nature really like?


    Selfish?
    Altruistic?
    Middle Ground?
    How do we know what is nature and what is nurture?

    Does rationality guarantee anything regarding particular rules?

    A New Take

    John Rawls asks us to enter an original position.

    The original position is a position of ignorance about our placement in the world (i.e., we do not
    know our sex, race, country, social status, theory of the good, etc.). Behind a veil of ignorance.

    The correct moral rules are then those that rational, self-interested agents would hypothetically
    agree to in such a state.

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