ABSTRACT
Introduction Any moral system or law aims to provide a means of a good life. Social contract theory is predicated on the notion that humans will ultimately act in their self-interest-an approach referred to as psychological egoism. While there is little doubt that it provides a workable approach to morality, social contract theorists appear to harbor considerable pessimism about both human nature and the nature of moral agency. Social contract theory, or contractarianism, is a moral system that appears to function by yet pays little regard to the notion of moral agency in humans. Contractarianism sees a process of ethics by negotiation-a set of agreed upon components of the good, which ultimately serve self-interest.
