Chapter 5
- 1. Chapter Five: Social Contract Theory and the Motive to Be Moral Why is the institution of morality justified? Why should I have to do something if it does not appear to be in my own self-interest? Why bother to be moral? What is in it for me? What is in it for society?
- 2. Why Does Society Need Moral Rules? Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) believed human beings always act out of perceived self-interest Equality of ability to harm and desire to satisfy our goals, leads to social instability Our state of nature is one where there is no common ways of life, no enforced laws or moral rules, and no justice or injustice. A state of anarchy and chaos
- 3. Hobbes and the State of Nature State of nature is in no one's interest and all are better if we compromise by giving up some of our natural liberty Selfish yet rational people are therefore willing to give up some liberty and agree to a social contract which sets up both rules and a governing force Morality arises from within this contract as a form of social control Hobbes says without morality life is “solitary, poor, brutish and short”
- 4. Hobbesian Morality and Lord of the Flies William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies (1954) portrays the Hobbesian account of morality Golding's view is that we need no external devil to bring about evil but that we have found the devil and he is us Themes illustrate Hobbesian views such as the theme that civilization's power is weak and vulnerable to primitive, explosive passions
- 5. Social Order and the Benefits of Morality Keep society from falling apart Reduce human suffering Promote human flourishing Resolve conflicts of interest in just and orderly ways Assign praise and blame, reward and punishment, and guilt
- 6. Why Be Should I Be Moral? The Story of Gyges from Plato's The Republic: Shepherd stumbles upon a ring that can make one invisible, allowing him to escape the restraints of society, and he uses it to become king The life of Jim vs. the life of Jack, a modern recast of the Gyges story Should choose the life of the “unsuccessful” just person because it is to our advantage to be moral
- 7. Morality, Self-Interest, and Game Theory Game theory – presents situations in which players make decisions that will bring each of them the greatest benefit; these games then provide easy models for understanding more complex situations of social interaction in the real world Game 1: The Prisoner's Dilemma Game 2: Cooperate or Cheat
- 8. The Motive to Always Be Moral The paradox of morality and advantage : 1. If an act is morally right, then it must be reasonable to do it. 2. If it is reasonable to do the act, then it must be in my interest to do it. 3. But sometimes the requirements of morality are incompatible with the requirements of self-interest. 4. Hence, a morally right act must be reasonable and need not be reasonable, which is a contradiction.
- 9. The Modified Principle of Rational Self-Interest If it is reasonable to choose a life plan L, which includes the possibility of doing act A, then it must be in my interest (or at least not against it) to choose L, even though A itself may not be in my self-interest.