Hobbes and the Social Contract
Moving in western culture from the ancient and medieval periods into the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, we approach modernity. Continue reading Summary of Hobbes’ Political and Ethical Theories
Category Archives: Ethics – Contractarianism
Summary of John Rawls’ Moral Theory
John Rawls’ “Hypothetical” Contract
The Harvard philosopher John Rawls advanced a contractarian moral philosophy in his A Theory of Justice, the most influential philosophical ethics book of the past thirty years. Continue reading Summary of John Rawls’ Moral Theory
Summary of David Gauthier’s Moral Contractarianism
David Gauthier’s Moral Philosophy
Another contemporary philosopher who follows in the tradition of Hobbes is David Gauthier of the University of Pittsburgh. In his influential text, Morals By Agreement, he argues that voluntary compliance with moral rules, even in the absence of enforcement, Continue reading Summary of David Gauthier’s Moral Contractarianism
Gilbert Harman’s Moral Contractarianism
Modern theories of contractarian morality derive from the moral and political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1569). Hobbes believed that morality has it roots in the human desire to survive and flourish. To escape a state of nature Continue reading Gilbert Harman’s Moral Contractarianism