CAS PH 150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Contractualism

• School: Boston University
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: CAS PH 150
• Professor: Suzanne Sreedhar

Document Summary

Carruthers bases his claims on contractualism: bases his argument on rational humans creating a social contract under the veil of ignorance, moral laws are based on the social contract. All human beings have direct moral standing: that is what we would agree to under the social contract. Rational humans are making the contract, so they would grant themselves direct moral status. Creators of the social contract would also grant direct moral status to nonrational humans to preserve social stability. If they had indirect moral status, they could be treated like property (experimentation, government seizure) Families and friends would rebel against the social contract due to universal human psychological attachment to nonrational loved ones. No animals have direct moral standing: carruthers acknowledges that animals are sentient and can suffer, but insists that they cannot be moral, while making the contract, we would not consider animals.