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I like the
contractarian tradition. It has an enormous
advantage over any other approach that I know
of because it provides a good answer to the
question "Why ought we to do X?" for a secular
culture. The answer is simply "Because
reasonable, prudent people would agree to it"
or some more complex variation on that theme.
If you look back on all of
modern moral philosophy, the fundamental
problem is to provide a foundation for moral
obligation. For me personally it is enough to
believe that God has created a moral law for
mankind. But for those who reject God, it is
difficult to find a persuasive justification
for obligation. Science can't do it. Hume
taught us that when he said that we cannot
derive ought
from is.
So where does obligation come from? That's
where contractarianism comes in. Most of us
feel that a free agreement to follow a rule
generates an obligation to follow that rule.
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