Is Morality Just Social Convention?
Kant and Duty
Kant argues that we can find our moral duties through reason and the social contract is, at best, a reflection of society and not necessarily moral in itself.
Rawls and Justice
John Rawls’ influential work ‘A Theory of Justice’ argues that social contract theory does not have equality. It suggests that those in a stronger state of nature will gain advantages in negotiating a social contract.
Utilitarianism
The theory that people should aim for the greatest happiness for the greatest or largest number of people.
A Whole Society Could Act Wrongly
The slave trade is an example here. If society deems the trade acceptable are they still moral? In Britain, for example, it is no longer acceptable because it was previously agreed to be immoral.
The Religious View
Religious thinkers would say that our moral duties come from God in the form of the Ten Commandments for example and therefore independent of a social contract.
Circular Reasoning
The argument is circular. We are morally obliged to keep the social contract, why should we be moral, because we promised.
See Also
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- » Morality as a Social Contract
» Example of an Exam Question
» Moral Dilemma: The Mad Bomber
» Morality As Constitutive Of Self Interest Plato's Form of Good
» Morality As Overcoming Self Interest Kant's Maxim
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