What We Owe to Many

Social Theory and Practice 30 (4):485-506 (2004)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

This article is an attempt to defend Scanlon's contractualism against the so-called aggregation problems. Scanlon's contractualism attempts to make sense of right and wrong in terms of principles which no one could reasonably reject. These principles are a function of what kind personal objections persons can make to alternative sets of moral principles. Because of this, it has been argued that contractualism is unable to account for how groups of different sizes are to be treated. In this article, I argue that contactualism, even if with its focus on personal burdens, can come to plausible conclusions in the group cases.

Other Versions

No versions found

Similar books and articles

Contractualism.Jussi Suikkanen - 2020 - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Contractualism and the Conditional Fallacy.Jussi Suikkanen - 2014 - Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics 4:113-137.
Contractualism, spare wheel, aggregation.Brad Hooker - 2003 - In Matt Matravers (ed.), Scanlon and contractualism. Portland, Or.: Frank Cass. pp. 53-76.
Ex Ante and Ex Post Contractualism: A Synthesis.Jussi Suikkanen - 2019 - The Journal of Ethics 23 (1):77-98.
Scanlon and contractualism.Matt Matravers (ed.) - 2003 - Portland, Or.: Frank Cass.
Scanlon as natural rights theorist.Eric Mack - 2007 - Politics, Philosophy and Economics 6 (1):45-73.
Scanlon’s Contractualism.Robert Merrihew Adams - 2001 - Philosophical Review 110 (4):563-586.
Moral contractualism.Nicholas Southwood - 2009 - Philosophy Compass 4 (6):926-937.

Analytics

Added to PP
2011-02-21

Downloads
511 (#55,331)

6 months
130 (#39,861)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Jussi Suikkanen
University of Birmingham

Citations of this work

Contractualism.Jussi Suikkanen - 2020 - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Contractualism and the Counter-Culture Challenge.Jussi Suikkanen - 2017 - Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics 7:184-206.
Spinning the Wheel or Tossing a Coin?Robert Huseby - 2011 - Utilitas 23 (2):127-139.

View all 6 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

Who Can Be Wronged?Rahul Kumar - 2003 - Philosophy and Public Affairs 31 (2):99-118.
Saving Scanlon: Contractualism and agent-relativity.Michael Ridge - 2001 - Journal of Political Philosophy 9 (4):472–481.
Contractualism and Aggregation.Alastair Norcross - 2002 - Social Theory and Practice 28 (2):303-314.
Equal treatment and equal chances.Frances Myrna Kamm - 1984 - Philosophy and Public Affairs 14 (2):177-194.

View all 6 references / Add more references