this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2024
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I do have some philosophical disagreement there. I'm roughly an anarcho-syndicalist by ideology but don't believe in the plausibility of an anarchic society in my lifetime. Tools of the oppressors can still have value. Social contract, at least as nomenclature, is a very useful tool for describing and theorizing around social cohesion in a non-hierarchical society. In order for humans to coexist in a mutually beneficial manner, they need to agree on "constants" that can be deemed objective. Without this, there can be an "impedence mismatch", to draw an analogy from electronics, that can cause undue strife because of a lack of agreement on ethical basics. "Social Contract" can be a useful term/concept for describing this, even if not agreeing with the content of it proposed by liberals.
Here, I'd disagree with scoping. I think that you have put all who use Social Contract in the group of (neo)liberalism. I do not find this accurate. As I stated earlier, it is useful as a tool for describing basic ethical "constants" to enable social cohesion.
Under an anarchic "Social Contract", that would be the correct action. Those wishing to enforce unjust social hierarchies, inflict suffering sadistically, and commit mass murder would be violating "Social Contract" (not just under most forms of anarchism).
The problem with a social contract is that it's objective. Everyone has to agree on it and interpret it the same way. Sure, you can bash a Nazi's face in if the government decides that's how we deal with Nazis. But what if the government doesn't? What if we live in a neoliberal capitalist state like our current society? A utilitarian is capable of saying "Fuck the state, I rely on My own moral compass to tell Me what's right". We can follow interpretations of ethics that are subjective. We can make our own choices for what we deem acceptable. We can be insurgents. We don't need to agree with anyone else.