Contractarianism

Morality faces a conflict known as the foundational crisis; a consideration stating that it is unclear if reason obligates one to be moral. In response, Gauthier proposes his social contract theory to resolve the issue concerning moralities that constrain self-interest. He argues that deliberative justification proves that morality is instrumentally rational. In respect, one is considered to be instrumentally rational “if they choose the best available means to satisfy their desires” (Sam Black, Notes on Gauthier). However, although Gauthier claims that every person has an instrumental reason to be moral, the two aspects of his argument, being moral and acting in self-interest, appear conflicting and “radically individualistic”(1Hampton, 60), and therefore defeat the concept of morality. Nevertheless, it can be argued that social contract theories are agreed upon by practically rational(fair-minded) people, and therefore even though actions are motivated through self-interest, they are agreed upon by fair-minded people.

David Gauthier’s social contract theory, argues co-ordination problems that effect society can be resolved through morality and more specifically, constrained maximization. In respect, a co-ordination problem occurs when two or more people would both be better off if they co-operated and acted in a kind manner to one another. However, in co-ordination problems the situation is set so each party has an incentive to act otherwise. In support, Gauthier provides the David Hume’s farmers analogy, in which both farmers, one and two, have the possibility to benefit through co-operative surplus if they aid one another in gathering crops. In this case, both farmers have incentive not to aid the other, because of the uncertainty that the other farmer will return the same favor. In turn, this allows room for each farmer to behave in one of two ways, as a straightforward maximizer, or constrained maximizer. Although both behaviors are self-interested and...