Impartial Contractarianism: The Unwritten Contract and the Impartiality Problem

Abstract

This thesis seeks propose an alternative Hobbesian social contract theory. One which is capable of dealing with Nicholas Southwood's claim that Hobbesian contractarianism is inherently incapable of dealing with the so called Impartiality Objection. Southwood Impartiality objection states that, by basing itself on agent-directed, rather than other-regarding reasons, Hobbesian contractarianism is incapable of accounting for the substantive claim that morality is equal for all, regardless of individual differences in wealth and power. This thesis argues that this doesn't have to be the case if morality is group-directed, rather than merely agent-directed.