View all notes This phenomenon, Scanlon observes, has to do with the intuitive appeal of the meta-ethical (or second-order) foundation of utilitarianism––“philosophical utilitarianism,” which is a philosophical thesis about the subject matter of morality, namely that the only fundamental moral facts are facts about …
What is the basic normative principle of contractualism?
It seems likely, indeed, that the most fundamental moral principle under any version of contractualism will be a principle of respect for autonomy – that agents should be granted as much freedom to act and pursue projects as is compatible with a similar degree of freedom being granted to all the others.
How does Contractualism differ from utilitarianism?
Contractualism is an impartial moral theory. (1) Utilitarianism applies to every area of morality, while contractualism covers only the realm of what we owe to one another. Scanlon himself acknowledges that this is not the whole of morality. We return to this difference in sections 12 and 13.
What is Contractualism theory?
Contractualism appeals to the idea of a social contract. It attempts to derive the content of morality (and, in some versions, also the justification for holding that we are obligated to follow morality) from the notion of an agreement between all those in the moral domain.
What is political Contractualism?
Political contractualism is the view that we need agreement on our basic political principles because we often agree on little else.
What is utilitarian theory?
Utilitarianism is a theory of morality that advocates actions that foster happiness or pleasure and oppose actions that cause unhappiness or harm. Utilitarianism would say that an action is right if it results in the happiness of the greatest number of people in a society or a group.
