What is Contractarianism theory?
“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. The moral theory of contractarianism claims that moral norms derive their normative force from the idea of contract or mutual agreement.
Who came up with Contractarianism?
In moral theory, contractarianism takes primarily two forms along the two different lines of moral thinking started by Hobbes and Kant, respectively. In the Hobbesian version, morality is a creation by agreement among rational agents for the sake of advancing their mutual benefit.
What is Contractarianism Gauthier?
Gauthier develops his theory of morality as part of a theory of rational choice; in essence, morality is both self-interested and rational. We might begin by considering the conception of rationality central to his theory. For Gauthier, practical reason is strictly instrumental.
What did Gauthier believe?
David Gauthier FRSC (/ˈɡɔːtieɪ/; born 10 September 1932) is a Canadian-American philosopher best known for his neo-Hobbesian social contract (contractarian) theory of morality, as developed in his 1986 book Morals by Agreement….
| David Gauthier | |
|---|---|
| Main interests | Political philosophy, game theory, rational choice theory |
Why does David Gauthier believe in moral contractarianism?
Gauthier believes that morality calls upon us, at least sometime, to constrain ourselves from self-interested pursuits. On the other hand, he admits, if morality is not self-interested then you have no reason to be moral. It is from this paradox that morality derives.
How is Rawls approach different from Gauthier and Harman?
Rawls’ contractarian approach differs radically from the approach of either Gauthier or Harman because it finds its inspiration, not in Hobbes, but in Locke, Rousseau, and Kant. Rawls begins by considering the original position where parties deliberate about the rules of right conduct that will be universally applicable in society.
What was David Gauthier’s theory of rationality?
Gauthier’s Theory of Rationality. Gauthier develops his theory of morality as part of a theory of rational choice; in essence, morality is both self-interested and rational. We might begin by considering the conception of rationality central to his theory.
What was the moral philosophy of John Rawls?
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. Rawls’ contractarian approach differs radically from the approach of either Gauthier or Harman because it finds its inspiration, not in Hobbes, but in Locke, Rousseau,
