The Social Contract

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The Social Contract
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Thomas Hobbes
Social Contract Theory
The Leviathan
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Life in a State of Nature
No laws or government.
No rules of morality.
Everyone for themselves.
Anyone has the ability to kill anyone.
Hobbes calls this a state of WAR.
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The Leviathan
Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of
war, where every man is enemy to every man, the
same consequent to the time wherein men live
without other security than what their own
strength and their own invention shall furnish
them withal.
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In such condition there is no place for
industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain
and consequently no culture of the earth no
navigation, nor use of the commodities that may
be imported by sea no commodious building no
instruments of moving and removing such things as
require much force no knowledge of the face of
the earth no account of time no arts no
letters no society and which is worst of all,
continual fear, and danger of violent death and
the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish,
and short.
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Why the state of nature is bad
No industry
No society
No agriculture
No pleasure
No seafaring
Continual Fear
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Why does this occur?
There is equality of need.
There is scarcity of resources.
There is essential equality of human power.
There is limited altruism.
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First Law of Nature
that every man, ought to endeavour peace, as far
as he has hope of obtaining it and when he
cannot obtain it, that he may seek and use, all
helps, and advantages of war.
Seek peace when you can.
Otherwise, take advantage of war to the extent
you can.
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Second Law of Nature
that a man be willing, when others are so too,
as far-forth, as for peace, and defense of
himself he shall think it necessary, to lay down
this right to all things and be contented with
so much liberty against other men, as he would
allow other men against himself.
When other people are willing to do the same
thing, you should treat others as you would want
to be treated, for the sake of peace and your own
defense.
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Contract Law and Morality
Enter into a covenant with other people.
This is the basis of and reason for acting
morally.
Explains the foundations of contracts you both
agree to give up some liberties.
In a state of nature, upon any reasonable
suspicion the contract is void. (Leviathan,
1.14.18)
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Third Law of Nature
that men perform their covenants made
INJUSTICE is no other than the not performance
of covenant.
MORALITY IS BASED ON CONTRACTS.
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Self Interest (Egoism) Leads to Morality
It is in your interest to leave a state of nature.
The only way to do that is to give up some of
your liberty by entering into a contract to treat
others as you would be treated with other people
who agree to do the same.
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Self Interest (Egoism) Leads to Morality
The only way to secure this contract is for
everyone to be subject to some coercive power.
One result is society as we know it including a
governing body and moral rules.
Another result is that it is irrational to break
the rules.
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The Leviathan
The coercive power
Must be stronger than any one person or any group
of people
And covenants without the swords are but words.
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The Prisoners Dilemma
Two criminals
Al Scarface Capone
Jack Machine Gun McGurn
Major crime
Murder of 7 people on St. Valentines Day
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(No Transcript)
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Minimal evidence connecting them to massacre.
Plenty of evidence linking them to bootlegging.
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Police interrogate them in separate rooms
Police offer them each a deal.
Finger the other guy, and walk if he dont talk.
You both stay mum, we lock the both of you up for
a year for bootlegging.
You both talk, its 20 years in the slammer.
But if he talks and you give us the silent
treatment, its 40 years at hard labor for you.
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Machine Gun
Stay Mum
Collaborate
Al gets 20 Jack gets 20
Al walks Jack gets 40
Collaborate
Scarface
Al gets 40 Jack walks
Al gets 1 Jack gets 1
Stay Mum
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Structure of a Game
Rules of the game
Who moves when -- at the same time
What do players know and when -- nothing
What actions are available at various points
Collaborate
Stay mum
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Outcomes
Al gets 20 Jack gets 20
Al walks Jack gets 40
Al gets 40 Jack walks
Al gets 1 Jack gets 1
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Structure of a Game
Payoffs
What are the payoffs with each outcome?
Years in the slammer for the player
How do the player's rank the outcomes?
Players prefer less years in the pen
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Best response for Al Scarface Capone
What if Jack stays mum?
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Jack stays mum
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Al gets the least years by collaborating.
What if Jack collaborates?
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Jack collaborates
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Al gets the least years by collaborating.
Al has a dominant strategy for this game.
Al sells out and collaborates.
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Best response for Machine Gun McGurn
What if Al stays mum?
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Al stays mum
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Jack gets the least years by collaborating.
What if Al collaborates?
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Al collaborates
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Jack gets the least years by collaborating.
Jack has a dominant strategy for this game.
Jack sells out and collaborates.
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In fact
Both Al and Jack sell out and get 20 years.
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Dominant strategies
A strategy that is best for a player, no
matter what strategy is chosen by the competing
player is called a dominant strategy.
A dominant strategy is a strategy that is best
for a player regardless of the strategy of the
other player.
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If a player has a dominant strategy in a game,
we can assume that the player will play that
strategy.
If each player in a game has a dominant
strategy, it is easy to find the equilibrium of
the game.
It is simply the outcome that occurs when
each player plays the dominant strategy.
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Equilibrium in the prisoners dilemma
Al and Jack get 20 years
If both stayed mum, each would get 1 year
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Collusion and/or Cooperation
Al and Jack will both stay mum
Each will get one year
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But this wont work in the long run
Why?
If Jack chooses stay mum, Hank collaborates
And vice versa
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So what do we need to get the best outcome?
We need a binding contract
We need a social contract
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The Social Contract
Morality is the set of rules that rational people
will agree to obey, for their mutual benefit,
provided that other people will obey them as well.
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Social Contract
Principles of social justice and moral behavior
are chosen in an original agreement
. . . The principles that free and rational
persons concerned to further their own interests
would accept in an initial position of equality
. . .
These principles regulate all further agreements
the kinds of social cooperation and forms of
government that are permissible
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Social Contract
The social contract has two elements
1. A characterization of the initial situation,
called variously the "state of nature, the
"original position" or the "initial bargaining
position.
2. A characterization of the parties to the
contract, particularly in terms of their
rationality and motivation to come to agreement.
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Original Position1

• Those in the original position are behind a veil
  of ignorance

• . . . No one know his place in society, his
  class position or social status, nor does anyone
  know his fortune in the distribution of natural
  assets and abilities, his intelligence, strength,
  and the like.

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Original Position2

• . . . parties do not know their conception of
  the good or their special psychological
  propensities . . .

• The terms of the social contact are chosen
  behind a veil of ignorance. This ensures that no
  one is advantaged or disadvantaged in the choice
  of principles or rules by the outcome of natural
  chance or the contingency of social
  circumstances.

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Parties to the Contract
1. Persons are self-interested. Their preferences
and interests do not necessarily include the well
being of others.
2. Persons are presumed to want the benefits of
social interaction if they can be had without
sacrifice of individual self-interest.
3. Justice, and so a social contract, is only
possible where there is some possibility of
benefit to each individual from cooperation.
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What do you think are the major issues?
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Example
"The duty of the State toward the citizen is the
duty of the servant to its master.... One of the
duties of the State is that of caring for those
of its citizens who find themselves the victims
of such adverse circumstances as makes them
unable to obtain even the necessities for mere
existence without the aid of others.... To these
unfortunate citizens aid must be extended by
government-not as a matter of charity but as a
matter of social duty".
F.D.R.