Scanlon calls his theory “contractualism.” It’s nowhere near as central to the history of philosophy as our Big Three, but its core tenet really appeals to me. It provides a reassuring ethical baseline—a kind of standardized, universal rulebook that we can all thumb through for guidance as we wander around in the world bumping into people on the street and getting caught in awkward interactions at Jamba Juice. Scanlon’s work comes out of Kantian “rules-based” ethics, but it isn’t as demanding.
