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Comments on the theory of the social contract?

Comments on the theory of the social contract?

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January 31, 2024

Question: Comments on the theory of the social contract?

Answer: That’s a deep and complicated question. I would say, I like social contract theory as part of political theory because it does capture an important aspect of morality-based politics, which is the informed consent of the governed. And certainly, in historical times when we get back to the beginnings of the modern world, the idea of the consent of the governed was just not part of traditional political theory.

Instead, you were a subject. You were expected to obey higher authority. So, I think the emphasis on that historically has been a useful corrective. At the same time, consent is only part of the story because we know people can consent to all kinds of crazy things in subjectivist fashion; and a full theory has to have not only consent, but consenting to things that are in fact, objectively good.

If we all consented to sell ourselves into slavery, those would not be valid contracts. If we all consented to engage in a battle royale where we’re just going to try to kill each other off, that would not be a valid contract. So, it has to be objectively good principles that we understand and consent to. That’s what the full theory has to consist of.

Doctor Stephen Hicks
About the author:
Doctor Stephen Hicks

Stephen R. C. Hicks is a Senior Scholar for The Atlas Society and Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University. He is also the Director of the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship at Rockford University.

Es autor de El arte de razonar: Lecturas para el análisis lógico (W. W. Norton & Co., 1998), Explaining Postmodernism: Escepticismo y socialismo de Rousseau a Foucault (Scholargy, 2004), Nietzsche y los nazis (La navaja de Ockham, 2010), La vida empresarial (CEEF, 2016), Liberalism Pro and Con (Connor Court, 2020), Arte: Modern, Postmodern, and Beyond (con Michael Newberry, 2021) y Eight Philosophies of Education (2022). Ha publicado en Business Ethics Quarterly, Review of Metaphysics y The Wall Street Journal. Sus escritos se han traducido a 20 idiomas.

Ha sido Profesor Visitante de Ética Empresarial en la Universidad de Georgetown en Washington, D.C., Profesor Visitante en el Social Philosophy & Policy Center de Bowling Green, Ohio, Profesor Visitante en la Universidad de Kasimir el Grande, Polonia, Profesor Visitante en el Harris Manchester College de la Universidad de Oxford, Inglaterra, y Profesor Visitante en la Universidad Jagiellonian, Polonia.

Es licenciado y máster por la Universidad de Guelph (Canadá). Se doctoró en Filosofía por la Universidad de Indiana, Bloomington (EE.UU.).

En 2010 ganó el Premio a la Excelencia Docente de su universidad.

Su serie de podcasts Open College está publicada por Possibly Correct Productions, Toronto. Sus conferencias y entrevistas en vídeo están en línea en CEE Video Channel, y su sitio web es StephenHicks.org.  


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