Why Contractarianism?: Hume & Gauthier Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Why Contractarianism?: Hume & Gauthier Deck (20)
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1
Q

What is Gauthier’s main point?

A

It is rational to be moral.

2
Q

___ ___ is the motivating factor to get into a contract with others.

A

Self-interest.

3
Q

What is the State of Nature?

A
  • Idea of equality.
  • Right to everything.
  • Try to satisfy self-interest.
4
Q

What does Hume say about the social contract?

A

Criticizes the Hobbesian “state of nature” and how governments are formed by an “original contract” as that which belies the formation of a civil society.

5
Q

Why does Hume reject Hobbes’ ideas?

A

It is not justified by history or experience; no a priori.

6
Q

What does Hume say about tacit consent?

A

It only applies where the person has a choice.

7
Q

How did Hume object to the Original Contract with regard to moral duties?

A
  1. Natural instinct and immediate propensity can play a role.
  2. We perform things out of a sense of obligation.
8
Q

Role of Reflection

A

Engages us to sacrifice such strong passions to the interests of peace and public order.

9
Q

Gauthier says that contract is like a bargain where…

A

We negotiate the rules.

10
Q

Gauthier offers a possible defeat against the moral skeptic by…

A

Grounding morality in rationality.

11
Q

Bargaining when negotiating rules involves…

A

Concessions that I make from my ideal outcome relative to the concessions that you make.

12
Q

Morality of Justified Constraint

A

Minimal characterization of morality that faces the crisis.

13
Q

What are Gauthier’s 3 objections to the ground of constraint?

A
  1. Morality is grounded in some self-conceptions of yourself as a free (self-understanding) agent.
  2. Morality as independent of desires, interests, and affections, but rather concerned with the well-being of all persons.
  3. No extramural foundations of moral justification.
14
Q

Deliberate Justification

A

Gauthier’s nonmoral mode of justification.

15
Q

Maximizing Principle

A

We order our preferences, in relation to decision and action, so that we may choose in a way that maximizes our expectation of preference fulfillment, and in doing so, we show ourselves to be rational agents, engaged in deliberation and deliberative justification.

16
Q

Does morality perish under deliberative justification?

A

Not necessarily, as long as:

  1. Explanatory role is found prior to justification.
  2. Idea of justification is reinterpreted.
  3. Deliberative justification is embraced.
17
Q

Deliberative justification does not ___ morality, it simply ___ it and seemingly ___ it.

A

Refute, ignore, replaces.

18
Q

Reflections leads us to recognize that those who belong to groups whose members adhere to such a practice of mutual assistance…

A

Enjoy benefits in interaction that are denied to others.

19
Q

What is the Fool’s 2 errors?

A
  1. The real acceptance of such practices as assisting one’s fellows, or keeping one’s promises, or telling the truth is possible only among those who are disposed to comply with them.
  2. The Fool fails to recognize that in plausible circumstances, persons who are genuinely disposed to a more rigorous compliance with moral practices than would follow from their interests at the time of performance can expect to do better than those who are not so disposed.
20
Q

Hypothetical agreement provides a test of the ___ of our existing moral principles.

A

Justifiability.