Modern social contract theory / Albert Weale.
This book provides an exposition and evaluation of major work in social contract theory from 1950 to present. It locates the central themes of that theory in the intellectual legacy of utilitarianism, particularly the problems of defining principles of justice and of showing the grounds of moral obl...
Saved in:
| Online Access: |
Full Text (via ProQuest) |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford ; New York, NY :
Oxford University Press,
2020.
|
| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | This book provides an exposition and evaluation of major work in social contract theory from 1950 to present. It locates the central themes of that theory in the intellectual legacy of utilitarianism, particularly the problems of defining principles of justice and of showing the grounds of moral obligation. Subsequently, it demonstrates how theorists responded in a novel way to the dilemmas articulated in utilitarianism, developing in their different approaches a constructivist method in ethics - a method that aimed to vindicate a liberal, democratic, and just political order. A distinctive feature of the book is its comparative approach. Each theory is placed in its particular intellectual context. Special attention is paid to the contrasting theories of rationality adopted by the different authors, whether that be utility theory or a deliberative conception of rationality, with the intention of assessing how far the principles advanced can be justified by reference to the hypothetical choices of rational contracting agents. The book also looks at some principal objections to the enterprise of contract theory, and offers its own programme for the future of that theory taking the form of the empirical method. |
|---|---|
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource. |
| ISBN: | 9780192594990 0192594990 9780192594983 0192594982 9780191887963 019188796X |