"Trinitarian Contractarianism".pdf

Theistic ethics has long been dominated by natural law theory (NLT) and divine command theory (DCT), but both approaches struggle to explain the social character of moral obligations between humans. NLT, led by thinkers like John Finnis and Mark Murphy, and DCT, represented by Robert Adams and John Hare, fail to account for the reciprocal nature of obligations. Contractarianism, which bases obligations on jointly accepted moral principles, can explain social character but is rarely adopted by theists. The author proposes a new theory, Trinitarian Contractarianism, which combines contractarianism with a theistic foundation, using the Trinity as a model for proper interpersonal relations. This approach grounds moral obligations in both interpersonal agreements and the divine nature, specifically the Trinity's exemplification of love and unity. The author draws on Aquinas's account of love, revived by Eleonore Stump, to argue that humans should strive to resemble the Trinity by desiring the good and unity of all, and that this norm yields a test for validating moral rules.