What is Contractarian theory?
The moral theory of contractarianism claims that moral norms derive their normative force from the idea of contract or mutual agreement. Thus, individuals are not taken to be motivated by self-interest but rather by a commitment to publicly justify the standards of morality to which each will be held.
What did Gauthier believe?
David Gauthier’s Moral Philosophy Specifically, he contends that one should become a constrained maximizer, a person disposed to cooperate with others on the condition that they expect others to cooperate.
What is Hobbesian philosophy?
His political philosophy is chiefly concerned with the way in which government must be organized in order to avoid civil war. It therefore encompasses a view of the typical causes of civil war, all of which are represented in Behemoth; or, The Long Parliament (1679), his history of the English Civil Wars.
What is Contractarian criticism?
Other critics have questioned the assumption that individuals are always self-interested, and that they would actually want the benefits of society supposedly offered by the contract. A further objection sometimes raised is that Contractarianism is more of a descriptive theory than a normative guide or a justification.
What is the meaning of Contractarianism?
noun. any of various theories that justify moral principles and political choices because they depend on a social contract involving certain ideal conditions, as lack of ignorance or uncertainty. a general ethical theory that individuals make the right choices under a hypothetical social contract.
What is Contractarian ethical principle?
Contractarian Ethics (or the Moral Theory of Contractarianism) claims that moral norms derive their normative force from the idea of contract or mutual agreement.
What is Thomas Hobbes best known for?
Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher, scientist, and historian best known for his political philosophy, especially as articulated in his masterpiece Leviathan (1651). In Hobbes’s social contract, the many trade liberty for safety.
What is the meaning of contractarianism in philosophy?
“Contractarianism” names both a political theory of the legitimacy of political authority and a moral theory about the origin or legitimate content of moral norms.
How does contractarian ethics relate to moral norms?
Contractarian Ethics (or the Moral Theory of Contractarianism) claims that moral norms derive their normative force from the idea of contract or mutual agreement.
Is the contractarian theory a justification of the status quo?
These latter contractarian theories are not justifications of the status quo, of course, but rather explanations and condemnations, and therefore do not face Hume’s objection.
Is the idea of force negated in contractarianism?
It is argued that this idea of force negates the requirement that a contract be entered into voluntarily, or at least to permit individuals to abstain from entering into a contract.