Unit three ethical theories contractarian utilitarian

Unit Three – Ethical Theories: Contractarian, Utilitarian,
and Kantian
Glossary Terms
 Act Utilitarianism
 Categorical Imperative
 Contractarianism
 Deontology
 Hedonistic
 Utilitarianism
 Pluralist Deontology
 Pluralist Utilitarianism
 Preference Utilitarianism
 Prima Facie Duties
 Respect for Persons
 Rule Utilitarianism
 State of Nature
Persons of Note
 Thomas Hobbes
 Immanuel Kant
 John Stuart Mill
 W.D. Ross
 Peter Singer
Contractarianism (Hobbes)
Contractarianism
 Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) is the classic exponent of contract theory
o Hobbes was an English political theorist, author of Leviathan (1651).
o Hobbes was profoundly influenced by the religious and civil wars of the period
o His ethical and political theory is all about avoiding the “war of all against all” of
a hypothetical state of nature, and persuading us to accept a minimal morality that
is necessary for civil peace
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o Hobbes was tough-minded and cynical about human nature
 He built his theory on the “low but solid ground” of prudential self-interest
and fear of death
 From Maslow’s perspective, Hobbesian theory operates almost
entirely at the level of our basic physiological and safety needs.
Hobbes’ Leviathan
 Human beings are Self-interested (or egoistic) but Rational
o In a State of Nature lacking a common power or government, everything would
be permitted, there would be no right or wrong, no natural conscience.
o Quality of Vulnerability . We are all equal, not because of any high-flown ideals,
but because of the fact that “the weakest has strength enough to kill the strongest”
(Hobbes, 1651, ch.1:13)Everyone must sleep sometimes. No prudent person can
afford not to take the feelings of others into account
o We have a Mutual Interest in avoiding a State of Nature because it would be a war
of all against all in which the “life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and
short. ““The passions that incline men to peace” are fear of death and desire for
prosperous and comfortable living (Hobbes, 1651)
o Morality is derived from the Social Contract and then enforced by a sovereign
power (“for promises without the sword are but empty words”).
 It is a good deal for everyone to escape the violent anarchy of the state of
nature, so Hobbes thinks it is Rational and Prudent for all self-interested
people to obey it
o The power to se force and arbitrate disputes is given by the social contract to a
Sovereign . Hobbes envisioned the Sovereign as a absolute monarch, as that was
the prevailing political regime of the day. He thought it would be more stable, less
likely to degenerate into civil war, than a democratic alternative
 Natural Law – Hobbes spoke of the following as “Natural laws”. However they are
merely “general rules of reason” which enable us to scape the State of Nature. The first
three suggested by Hobbes are:
o Seek Peace, as far as possible, and defend oneself when necessary
o Be content with as much liberty against others as we would allow them against us