Social Contract Theory
Thomas Hobbes
1588-1679
Leviathan
Three main components
of Hobbes’s contract:
Ontology of Persons
State of Nature
Laws of Nature
Ontology of Persons
Account of what human beings are
essentially like; what motivates human
action.
Self-preservation is a fundamental desire
of all individuals
There exists a natural equality amongst
individuals
Passions, Conflict & Peace.
War between individuals: caused by
competition, diffidence (distrust), and a
desire for glory.
Desire for peace: fear of death, desire for
commodious living, hope of attaining things
by industry.
State of Nature
Account of the natural state of man
without any established authority,
government or morality.
Pre-social state of perpetual war of “all
against all”.
Virtue of Force and Fraud
“No. . . culture, navigation, commodious
building, arts, letters, constant fear of
violent death”
“Solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short”
No objective moral distinctions in the state
of nature.
Laws of Nature
Laws of nature are agreed to by all because
they are rational, and remove individuals from
the state of nature.
Right of Nature – liberty each person has to
preserve their life using whatever means our
judgment or reason deem necessary.
Laws of nature are established when
individuals agree to give up their absolute
right of nature.
Hobbes's Argument
1. Law of nature tells us we must preserve our own life.
2. Natural state of man is a war of all against all.
3. In a state of war we have a right to everything in order to
protect ourselves – including the person of another.
4. Therefore, as long as the right of nature ‘endureth’ there
cannot be security for anyone.
5. Therefore, “Everyman ought to endeavor peace, as far
as he has hope of attaining it, and when he cannot, seek
and use all the advantages of war.
First Two Laws of Nature
1. Seek peace and follow it.
2. “That a man being willing, when others are so
too, as far-forth as for peace and defense of
himself he shall think it necessary to lay down
his right to all things, and to be content with
rights commensurate with those of others.”
Hobbes and Rational selfinterest.
Hobbes’ approach (argument) is one way
contractarians have attempted to justify
particular contract arrangements.
Prisoner’s Dilemma
Agent A
Confess
Agent B Confess
5/5
Don’t
10/0
Don’t
0/10
1/1
Assuming that your goal is to spend as
little time in prison as possible, what should
each of the prisoner’s do?
Advantages of the
Contract Approach
What rules ought we to follow and how
are they justified?
A rule is moral provided that it results in
protecting those things necessary for
social living. A rule is justified if it is
necessary if we are to cooperate for out
mutual benefit.
Why is it reasonable to follow
the moral rules?
Because it is to our own advantage to do
so, and because we want to be able to
count on other people to do the same.
When can we break a moral
rule?
We are released (to some extent) from
following the rules when other fail to follow
it.
Does morality have an
objective basis?
Morality is a set of rules that rational
people would agree to for mutual benefit –
if the rules lead to the sought after
outcome then they are “right”.
Additional Advantage of the
Social Contract
Justification of Civil Disobedience
The social contract gives
a clear directive as to when
we may violate the law:
1. Our obligation to obey the law stems from our
acceptance of certain burdens in return for
certain benefits.
2. When we are no longer receiving the benefits
while still bearing the burdens (paying taxes,
following the law etc.) we are justified in not
obeying the law.
3. Therefore, civil disobedience is justified.
Problems with the Social
Contract Approach
Social Contract is based on a
historical fiction.
Do we need to follow a contract agreed
upon by others?
What happens to those who do not sign
the contract?
How do we handle those who
don’t/can’t participate in the
social contract (e.g., non-human
animals, mentally impaired
humans, children)