• Ross_audio@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      What exactly is the constitution, or any law, if not a social contract.

      If you don’t like the social contracts we have, vote for someone to make them better.

      Especially when it comes to the social contracts around elections.

      • 𝕯𝖎𝖕𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖙@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        What exactly is the constitution, or any law, if not a social contract.

        What exactly is a BDSM dungeon, if not a social contract?

        What exactly is a thanksgiving dinner with the family, if not a social contract?

        What exactly is a lemmy shitpost and a dipshit commenting on it, if not a social contract?

        What exactly is a terms and conditions, if not a social contract?

        What exactly is a terms of service, if not a social contract?

        What exactly is a “please, harder daddy” if not a social contract?

        My issue with “social contract” is how vague the concept is. I get that it’s an agreement we accept to have certain conditions met. But that definition itself is so vague why are we even discussing it?

        • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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          10 months ago

          social contract noun

          A usually implicit agreement among the members of an organized society or between the governed and the government defining and limiting the rights and duties of each. 
          
            • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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              10 months ago

              Laws are explicit, not implicit. You said you didn’t understand what a social contract was and I answered you. Now you’re just being intentionally obtuse.

              • 𝕯𝖎𝖕𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖙@lemmy.world
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                10 months ago

                I never said anything of the sort. I said I didn’t understand the wording of the social contract. Please just link this one contract to me, since everyone’s always discussing it.

                I can’t have a conversation unless I know the topic.

                Topic like “agreement” is bit too vauge but hey, I’ll try: “Isn’t it great when everyone? I know, right?!”

                • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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                  10 months ago

                  You have all the tools you need at your disposal. At this point, you are the biggest obstacle to your success.

                  • 𝕯𝖎𝖕𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖙@lemmy.world
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                    10 months ago

                    And what benefit will me understanding the precursor to “agreements” grant me?

                    Folks keep thinking I don’t understand what a social contract is.

                    I don’t understand why such an old term is relevant when it can’t even be defined and is different for each person. The best we can come up with is something like “well, you do the things society wants and you get treated well”. Which one person will interpret as “I give food to the homeless, because they need food” and another person will interpret as “I don’t give food to the homeless because they need to understand the grind, they need to feel the hunger, it will motivate them to do better”. Both people obey “the social contract” yet, both are participating in opposite actions.

                    “The social contract” sounds a lot like “don’t be a dick” which, while nice sounding on the surface really needs clarification and this is why we have written contracts, governments, law, etc.

                    Sure, this wasn’t the case prior to law, but we have law now so…

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      It is an implied thing not a tangible written down thing. Which is common in life. For example you are sitting on a bus with your headphones on, it is understood that I don’t sit next to you and try to talk to you, unless something out of the ordinary happens and this is critical. In the grocery store you know that your cart goes on the same side of the aisle as you drive on.

      All this stuff adds up and it becomes a basket of little rules. Follow them and things will go smoothly, don’t and they will go less smoothly. It doesn’t mean that your life is going to be even good it doesn’t mean nothing bad will happen to you it doesn’t mean everyone who breaks it will be punished. It is not even aspirational it is empirical. It is is how human civilization works.