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Originally Posted by TimMason
What is this society thing, that it needs holding together? Why does it need more than day-to-day reciprocity - which worked reasonably well for hundreds of thousands of years?
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For hundreds of thousands of years, people have been living together under a number of very strict rules. Our rules are different in nature, and different in that we feel we have the right to challenge them, but rules are hardly a new thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TimMason
What trace is there of 'our' ever having done that? The social contract is pure invention (as Hobbes was aware). In fact, our assent is assumed, even if we know nothing of the rules (ignorance is no defence). The rules appear as 'social facts' - both 'moral rules' and 'legal rules'. In most cases, they favour some and disfavour others. The few? The many?
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Yes, those are good points.