Toward a Naturalistic Foundation of the Social Contract

Arbeitspapier

This paper delivers a step toward a naturalistic foundation of the social contract. While mainstream social contract theory is based on an original position model that is defined in an aprioristic way, we endogenize its key elements, i.e., develop them out of the individuals' moral common sense. Therefore, the biological and social basis of moral intuitions are explored. In this context, a key adaptation during evolution was the one that enabled humans to understand conspecifics as intentional agents. Since these behavioral aspects are considered to be an exaptation, they are not amenable to direct genetic explanations or to rationalitybased approaches.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Papers on Economics and Evolution ; No. 0501

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Capitalist Systems: Political Economy ; Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations ; Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement ; Current Heterodox Approaches: Historical; Institutional; Evolutionary ; Relation of Economics to Social Values
• Subject: Social contract theory ; Fairness ; Intentionality ; Empathy ; Human ; Sozialvertrag ; Gerechtigkeit ; Evolutionsökonomik

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Cordes, Christian ; Schubert, Christian
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Max Planck Institute for Research into Economic Systems
• (where): Jena
• (when): 2005

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/20020
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET