TWO CONCEPTS OF SOCIAL CONTRACT: APEL AND BUCHANAN

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TWO CONCEPTS OF SOCIAL CONTRACT: APEL AND BUCHANAN

Journal Title: Rocznik Politologiczny - Year 2017, Vol 13, Issue 4

Abstract

We try to show, what roles an individual’s choice plays in the tradi-tional notion of social contract, that is, how certain thinkers approach and explain the fact, that the co-operant individuals choose the rules of their privet alliances by free-will, and then, they undertake them voluntarily. What does the problem of choice mean? Some theories of social contract assume, that the individuals of society form the rules of peaceful coexistence collectively, consequently, they can choose from the possible rules. An unleadable elaboration of the question of choice is given by J. M. Buchanan, who studies the modifications of individuals’ choice between different ethical rules depending on the ethical choice made by persons around the individual, with special emphasis on the size of the community. The two roads not necessarily lead to different directions, that is, in a given case, the pursuance of both principals might make the individual act in he same way – as it was noted by Apel as well – so the choice we discuss now, in fact is not the choice between moral and amoral, but a choice between the previously stated ethical rules. We have to mention – as Buchanan also adds – that, the person, who refuses moral law is not aware of the fact, that he does harm to the other members of the society, and not to the state, which he consid-ers to be far away from him. He does not know, that society consists of the other peo-ple, and of him of course, and it is not a far away, abstract concept.

Authors and Affiliations

Csaba Fazekas, Sándor Fekete

Keywords

social contract Apel Buchanan Rawls categorical imperative distri-bution contribution

RECENZJA KSIĄŻKI PETER SNOWDON, BACK FROM THE BRINK: THE EXTRAORDINARY FALL AND RISE OF THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY, HARPERPRESS, 2010, SS. 419

Abstrakt

EP ID EP420774
DOI -
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