Overview
This lecture covers social contract theory, tracing its origins, main philosophers, core ideas, modern developments, and major feminist and race-conscious critiques.
Socrates and Early Social Contract Ideas
- Socrates argued in Crito that citizens implicitly accept the laws by choosing to remain in their society.
- Plato’s Republic features Glaucon's view that justice arises from agreements to avoid harm, which Socrates ultimately rejects as the source of justice.
- Socrates values justice for its own sake, beyond mere reciprocal law obedience.
Modern Social Contract Theory
Thomas Hobbes
- Hobbes describes humans as self-interested, rational, and equal in a pre-societal State of Nature.
- The State of Nature leads to constant fear and war; life is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short."
- People agree to cede rights and empower a sovereign for peace and security—absolute authority is necessary.
John Locke
- Locke sees the State of Nature as a state of liberty and morality, with natural rights but risk of conflict over property.
- Property arises from mixing labor with nature and is limited by use and common good.
- Civil society forms through consent to protect property and enforce law, under government by majority rule.
- If government becomes tyrannical, people may rightfully resist and reform society.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Rousseau distinguishes between a historical (problematic) and an ideal (normative) social contract.
- The origins of property and inequality corrupt natural equality and freedom.
- Ideal society is formed by individuals collectively agreeing to create a general will, aiming for the common good.
- Real democracy requires small, participatory states where citizens regularly deliberate together.
More Recent Social Contract Theories
John Rawls
- Rawls’ "original position" uses the veil of ignorance: principles of justice are chosen without knowing one’s societal position.
- Two Principles: equal basic liberties for all; inequalities allowed only if they benefit the least advantaged.
- Civil liberties take priority over economic arrangements ("justice as fairness").
David Gauthier
- Gauthier theorizes that rational, self-interested agents can establish morality without a sovereign.
- Using the Prisoner's Dilemma, he shows cooperation can be rational for self-interested individuals.
- Cooperation is sustained by adopting “constrained maximization” over pure self-interest.
Contemporary Critiques of Social Contract Theory
Feminist Arguments
- Carole Pateman argues contracts historically facilitated male dominance over women (The Sexual Contract).
- The liberal individual in contract theory is criticized as embodying masculine, economic, and exclusionary traits.
- Care ethics critiques claim social contract theory fails to capture dependency, care, and relational moral obligations.
Race-Conscious Argument
- Charles Mills’ Racial Contract argues Western social contract theory creates and sustains racial hierarchies.
- Full personhood and contract participation are reserved for whites, legitimizing the exclusion and exploitation of others.
- The racial contract is a real historical phenomenon, not just a philosophical ideal.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Social Contract — An agreement among individuals to form a society and accept authority for mutual benefit.
- State of Nature — Hypothetical condition without government or laws, used to analyze origins of society.
- Sovereign — Ultimate authority established to maintain peace; central in Hobbes’s theory.
- Natural Rights — Rights inherent to all human beings, such as life, liberty, and property (Locke).
- General Will — The collective will of the people, aiming at the common good (Rousseau).
- Veil of Ignorance — Rawls’ method for choosing just principles, where decision-makers lack knowledge of their personal circumstances.
- Difference Principle — Rawls’ requirement that inequalities are just only if they benefit the least advantaged.
- Constrained Maximizer — One who limits self-interest to enable cooperation (Gauthier).
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review and compare the views of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Rawls, and Gauthier for similarities and differences.
- Read primary selections from each philosopher to deepen understanding.
- Reflect on contemporary critiques, especially from feminist and race-conscious perspectives.