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Social Contract Theory Essay

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Ethical Theory: Social Contract Theory The Social Contract Theory is the ethical theory concerning the relationship between the citizen and the government. The chief architects of the theory include Enlightenment thinkers and political theorists, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke whose theories were foundational in the Founding Fathers establishment of the United States. The theory chiefly focuses on the need for some type of regulating body over the affairs of mankind due to the nature of unregulated human behavior. It also focuses on and explains a different means by which the legitimacy of the State is gained, a theory that differed from monarchical legitimacy and is based on a contractual agreement. Hobbes’ theory of …show more content…

The arguments mentioned above each focus on the fetus or human life and rights of the baby, the pragmatic approach examines the conditions under which the woman conceives. This approach to the issue of abortion establishes a sort of ethical hierarchy to ‘the most acceptable’ conditions under which it occurs. The same hierarchical nature is applied to the most acceptable reasons under which an abortion can take place. This approach solely examines the motivations of the woman and differentiates between self-caused (intentional) pregnancy and accidental pregnancy and justifiable reasons for pregnancy. The nature of the ethics of abortion are so convoluted given that they involve a unique two person situation with potential and actual rights that come into …show more content…

The practical application of this debate comes in the form of social welfare policy and politics and class disparity. Those who are in favor of social welfare policies argue from the position that this is a basic right that should be given and guaranteed when it cannot be achieved without assistance. Those who would argue against economic justice and basic needs being met are those that would take an individualistic approach. Throughout history, there have always been disproportionate concentrations of resources among people. Objectively, with a smaller amount of people controlling the majority of the resources which creates a large scarcity or resource insecurity in a much larger swathe of the population. The argument against social welfare policy and supporting those takes the stance that people should not be given things when they have the capability to achieve those things. This argument is a microcosmic argument in that it does not examine the systems in which these people prepare and live. The stance against welfare policy claims that it will promote laziness and allows people to fail if they do not have the internal drive to achieve their needs, if they will not work for those needs then they must not be actual needs. The other aspect of this argument

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