Transcript Ethical Theories

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
 Fear of others in the state of nature
(apart from society) prompts people
to form governments through a social contract
 State power/authority (the sovereign) is based
on the choice of subjects that there be one will.
Since the sovereign determines what is right,
rebellion against the sovereign is unjustified
 As brutal as a State may be, it is always better
than having no State or government
John Locke (1632-1704)
 We have God-given rights to our
lives, liberty, property (e.g., bodies)
 We establish governments to clarify & protect
our natural rights. State authority is thus based
on the consent of the people, who can rebel
against the State if it fails to respect our rights
 Tacit consent is given by anyone who lives in
a country and is protected by its laws
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
(1712-78)
 I am obligated to obey the law only if
it is self-imposed. Externally-imposed laws are
based on force and are not morally legitimate
 The social contract is our tacit agreement to
abide by the general will, which is what we all
will for ourselves as members of a community
 Objection: consent is often uninformed and
unavoidable (Hume)
Contemporary Liberalism:
John Rawls: Justice as Fairness
 All citizens should share in a society’s wealth
and be given equal economic opportunities
 In a just society, rational individuals under a
veil of ignorance about their original position
in the society should endorse a theory that:
gives everyone as much liberty as possible
 allows for the unequal distribution of wealth only
when the existence of such inequalities benefits
everyone and is accessible to everyone

Critiques of Social Contract Theories
 Communitarianism: the State’s authority does
not depend on the consent of individuals;
rather, individuals depend on the State for
their fulfillment and identity (Aristotle, Hegel)
 Feminism: because women typically are
expected to focus on private (family)
matters, they are excluded from full
Susan Okin
participation in the social contract
Types of Justice
 Retributive justice: punishment/reward given to
someone for something he/she has done
 Distributive justice: the distribution of goods,
services, or responsibilities based on:
 productivity and merit (Plato)
 social utility, public interest (J. S. Mill)
 need and ability (socialism: Marx)
 equal opportunity (welfare liberalism: Rawls)
 ownership of property, entitlement, free choices
(classical liberalism: Nozick)
Karl Marx
(1818-85)
 Human beings are naturally inclined
to work and be sociable. Capitalism alienates
us from the products of our labor and thus
alienates us from ourselves and others
 Only communal ownership of property can
counteract social alienation
Types of Justice
 Retributive justice: punishment/reward given to
someone for something he/she has done
 Distributive justice: the distribution of goods,
services, or responsibilities based on:
 productivity and merit (Plato)
 social utility, public interest (J. S. Mill)
 need and ability (socialism: Marx)
 equal opportunity (welfare liberalism: Rawls)
 ownership of property, entitlement, free choices
(classical liberalism: Nozick)
Minimal State (Entitlement) Theory:
Robert Nozick
 We are entitled to use our property as we see
fit. The State’s legitimate power is limited to
preventing harm and protecting property rights
 Taxation for anything other than protection
(e.g, to impose a pattern to redistribute wealth)
is unjust because it ignores how goods are
acquired fairly through trade, labor, gifts, etc.