Location: CNH-B107

Toward a Theory of Dynamic Liberalism

Classic theories of the social contract focus on the justification of particular ideals of social and institutional arrangements. They aim to show both the desirability of these ideals, and their stability. While these approaches have offered incredible insights into the connections between liberal ideals and have been fertile for research, they suffer from the fact that each contract theory is tied to the presumed background conditions: the social-technological mix that the theorist assumed when they developed the theory. In this essay, I argue that social contract theory does not need to be limited in this way. Instead of articulating particular desirable end states or principles that would shape those end states, we can consider institutional and procedural arrangements that would facilitate the discovery of new ideals. Shifting the goal of social contract theory away from a focus on particular end states and toward social discovery helps us recover something that has been obscured by much of ideal political philosophy, both in and out of the social contract tradition: that liberal societies are fundamentally about responding to and channeling the diversity of citizens toward positive ends. Disagreement fosters greater discovery and dynamism, which are core reasons for liberal success. By refashioning social contract theory toward a consideration of how we best use diversity to generate discovery and dynamism, we can better see the value of liberalism relative to its alternatives. Social contracts need not be, and liberalism isn’t, about any particular equilibrium of particular social rules. The social contract framework can help us investigate this more dynamic notion of liberalism directly, and in doing so obviates the value, and indeed necessity, of diversity and disagreement for a well-functioning liberal state.

Speakers

Ryan Muldoon
Director of Undergraduate Studies (State University of New York-Buffalo)
Associate Professor (State University of New York-Buffalo)
Department of Philosophy