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The Social Contract
Thomas Hobbes
The Leviathan
Social Contract Theory
Life in a State of Nature
No laws or government.
Hobbes calls this a “state of WAR”.
No rules of morality.
Everyone for themselves.
Anyone has the ability to kill anyone.
“Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live without other security than what their own strength and their own invention shall furnish them withal.”
The Leviathan
“In such condition there is no place for industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of moving and removing such things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
Why the state of nature is bad
No agriculture
No industry
No seafaring
No society
No pleasure
Continual Fear
Why does this occur?
There is equality of need.
There is scarcity of resources.
There is essential equality of human power.
There is limited altruism.
First Law of Nature
“that every man, ought to endeavour peace, as far as he has hope of obtaining it; and when he cannot obtain it, that he may seek and use, all helps, and advantages of war.”
Seek peace when you can.
“Otherwise, take advantage of war to the extent you can.”
Second Law of Nature
When other people are willing to do the same thing, you should treat others as you would want to be treated, for the sake of peace and your own defense.
“that a man be willing, when others are so too, as far-forth, as for peace, and defense of himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down this right to all things; and be contented with so much liberty against other men, as he would allow other men against himself.”
Contract Law and Morality
Enter into a covenant with other people.
This is the basis of and reason for acting morally.
Explains the foundations of contracts: you both agree to give up some liberties.
In a state of nature, “upon any reasonable suspicion” the contract is void. (Leviathan, 1.14.18)
Third Law of Nature
“that men perform their covenants made”
“INJUSTICE is no other than the notperformance of covenant.”
MORALITY IS BASED ON CONTRACTS.
Self Interest (Egoism) Leads to Morality
It is in your interest to leave a state of nature.
The only way to do that is to give up some of your liberty by entering into a contract to treat others as you would be treated with other people who agree to do the same.
Self Interest (Egoism) Leads to Morality
One result is society as we know it including a governing body and moral rules.
The only way to secure this contract is for everyone to be subject to some coercive power.
Another result is that it is irrational to break the rules.
The Leviathan
The “coercive power”
Must be stronger thanany one person or anygroup of people
“And covenantswithout the swords are but words.”
The Prisoner’s Dilemma
Two criminals
Al “Scarface” Capone
Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn
Major crime
Murder of 7 people on St. Valentine’s Day
Minimal evidence connecting them to massacre.
Plenty of evidence linking them to bootlegging.
Police interrogate them in separate rooms
Police offer them each a deal.
Finger the other guy, and walk if he don’t talk.
You both stay mum, we lock the both of youup for a year for bootlegging.
You both talk, its 20 years in the slammer.
But if he talks and you give us the silent treatment,its 40 years at hard labor for you.
Scarface
Stay Mum
Machine Gun
Al gets 20Jack gets 20
Collaborate
Stay Mum
CollaborateAl walksJack gets 40
Al gets 40Jack walks
Al gets 1Jack gets 1
Rules of the game
Structure of a Game
Who moves when -- at the same time
What do players know and when -- nothing
What actions are available at various points
Collaborate
Stay mum
Outcomes
Al gets 20Jack gets 20
Scarface
Stay Mum
Machine Gun
Collaborate
Stay Mum
CollaborateAl walksJack gets 40
Al gets 40Jack walks
Al gets 1Jack gets 1
Structure of a Game
Payoffs
What are the payoffs with each outcome?
How do the player's rank the outcomes?
Years in the slammer for the player
Players prefer less years in the pen
Best response for Al “Scarface” Capone
What if Jack stays mum?
Stay Mum
Machine Gun
Scarface
Stay Mum
CollaborateAl walksJack gets 40
Al gets 1Jack gets 1
Jack stays mum
Al gets the least years by collaborating.
What if Jack collaborates?
Scarface
Stay Mum
Collaborate
Jack collaborates Machine Gun
Collaborate
Al gets 20Jack gets 20
Al gets 40Jack walks
Al has a dominant strategy for this game.
Al sells out and collaborates.
Al gets the least years by collaborating.
Best response for “Machine Gun” McGurn
What if Al stays mum?
Scarface
Stay Mum
Al stays mum
Al gets 40Jack walks
Al gets 1Jack gets 1
Machine Gun
Stay MumCollaborate
Jack gets the least years by collaborating.
What if Al collaborates?
Al collaboratesMachine Gun
Stay MumCollaborate
Scarface
CollaborateAl gets 20Jack gets 20
Al walksJack gets 40
Jack gets the least years by collaborating.
Jack has a dominant strategy for this game.
Jack sells out and collaborates.
In fact
Both Al and Jack sell out and get 20 years.
Dominant strategies
A strategy that is best for a player, no matterwhat strategy is chosen by the competing playeris called a dominant strategy.
A dominant strategy is a strategy that is best for aplayer regardless of the strategy of the other player.
If each player in a game has a dominant strategy,it is easy to find the equilibrium of the game.
If a player has a dominant strategy in a game, wecan assume that the player will play that strategy.
It is simply the outcome that occurs when eachplayer plays the dominant strategy.
Equilibrium in the prisoner’s dilemma
Al and Jack get 20 years
If both stayed mum, each would get 1 year
Collusion and/or Cooperation
Each will get one year
Al and Jack will both stay mum
But this won’t work in the long run
Why?
If Jack chooses stay mum, Hank collaborates
And vice versa
So what do we need to get the best outcome?
We need a binding contract
We need a social contract
Morality is the set of rules that rational people will agree to obey, for their mutual benefit, provided that other people will obey them as well.
The Social Contract
“. . . The principles that free and rational persons concerned to further their own interests would accept in an initial position of equality . . .”
Social Contract
Principles of social justice and moral behavior are chosen in an original agreement
These principles regulate all further agreements —the kinds of social cooperation and forms of government that are permissible
Social ContractThe social contract has two elements
1. A characterization of the initial situation, called variously the "state of nature“, the "original position" or the "initial bargaining position“.
2. A characterization of the parties to the contract, particularly in terms of their rationality and motivation to come to agreement.
Original Position—1
• Those in the original position are behind a “veil of ignorance
• “. . . No one know his place in society, his class position or social status, nor does anyone know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his intelligence, strength, and the like.”
Original Position—2
• “. . . parties do not know their conception of the good or their special psychological propensities . . .”
• “The terms of the social contact are chosen behind a veil of ignorance. This ensures that no one is advantaged or disadvantaged in the choice of principles or rules by the outcome of natural chance or the contingency of social circumstances.”
Parties to the Contract1. Persons are self-interested. Their preferences and
interests do not necessarily include the well being of others.
2. Persons are presumed to want the benefits of social interaction if they can be had without sacrifice of individual self-interest.
3. Justice, and so a social contract, is only possible where there is some possibility of benefit to each individual from cooperation.
What do you think are the major issues?
"The duty of the State toward the citizen is the duty of the servant to its master.... One of the duties of the State is that of caring for those of its citizens who find themselves the victims of such adverse circumstances as makes them unable to obtain even the necessities for mere existence without the aid of others.... To these unfortunate citizens aid must be extended by government-not as a matter of charity but as a matter of social duty".
F.D.R.
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