Gauthier 1986

1.1 The Just Person and Compliance

• A just person tends to follow the rule of minimax relative concession when dealing with others who also try to be fair.

  • Minimax relative concession: an approach that seeks to minimize the maximum possible loss relative to what each person could have gained.

• They focus on what's best for everyone and think about working together when deciding what to do.

• If they can find a solution that's both fair and the best possible, they go with that. If not, they try to get the most benefit for themselves.

Fair Optimizing Strategy

• This is a way of acting (or choosing) that's expected to lead to a result that's almost fair and the best it can be, considering what others are likely to do.

• This result gives everyone involved benefits that are close to what they'd get if they cooperated using the minimax relative concession method.

• It's "nearly" fair and optimal because other people might not always stick to the minimax relative concession rule.

• A just person follows this rule: they pick the fair and optimal choice if it's available. If not, they do what benefits them the most.

Awareness of Differing Rationalities

• A just person understands that not everyone follows the same rules.

• They don't always expect others to act in a way that satisfies the condition of fairness and optimality.

• So, when making decisions, they still consider the original conditions (A, B, and C), and they know that "rational response" can mean different things to different people.

Utility-Maximizing Rationale for Condition A'

• This section explains why it makes sense for someone focused on getting the most benefit to accept the condition of fairness (A').

• It shows that a rational person, under certain circumstances, would choose to follow the minimax relative concession rules rather than having no rules at all.

• This means deciding to limit their future choices to maximize overall benefit.

Defending Compliance

• Defending condition A' means supporting the idea of sticking to agreements (whether they're spoken or understood) that are based on the minimax relative concession principle.

• This also applies to practices that are supported by this principle.

• If this defense fails, it suggests that fair bargaining is pointless and that there's no logical reason to cooperate.

• It also implies that a fair moral code is just wishful thinking, with no logical and unbiased way to limit how people pursue their own interests.

External Rationality of Cooperation

• Supporting condition A' defends the idea that cooperation is a logical choice against the idea of egoism.

• Egoists, like the character in Hobbes's Leviathan, focus on getting the most benefit for themselves, even if it means rejecting cooperation.

1.2 Hobbes and the Right of Nature

• Hobbes's moral theory begins by looking at what people are allowed to do, rather than what they're required to do.