The Fundamentals of Ethics

Chapter 13 turns to proceduralism, an ethical theory that begins its moral inquiry by assuming there is no right or wrong until proven otherwise. It posits that following the right procedure will always lead moral philosophers to the right conclusions. The golden rule, rule consequentialism, and Kant’s principle of universalizability are all examples of proceduralism. The most important and well-known proceduralist approach to ethics is the social contract theory, also called contractarianism.

Although it began as a political theory, contractarianism soon morphed into a moral theory. The political theory traces its origins to the ancient Greeks, but the modern version was formulated by English philosopher Tomas Hobbes (1588–1679). The moral theory stipulates that fair laws are ones that are accepted by free, equal, and rational people who have signed a social contract to live in cooperation with each other. In other words, actions are morally right if the above terms apply and everyone abides by them. Contractarianism assumes that humans are inherently selfish and wish to be greater than their peers. However, only few people make it to the top, so rather than competing fiercely, people enter into social contracts, curb their self-interests, and agree to cooperate to improve their general conditions.