Contractualism and the Distant World Objection

Abstract Principle-based theories, such as rule-consequentialism and Scanlonian contractualism, evaluate principles/rules first and then actions by those principles. The traditional form of principle-based theories is thought to evaluate principles only on the basis of what would happen if many people adhered to those principles. In some cases, they have advantages in vindicating some considered judgments because they consider such effects. However, it is criticized that the very feature sometimes makes those theories give counterintuitive verdicts. This poses the question of whether there is a form of principle-based theory that retains the advantages of vindicating some considered judgments while avoiding the problem of giving counterintuitive verdicts. This paper suggests that two resources found in contractualist literature, a way of making exceptions and the intrinsic significance of moral principles, can help contractualism retain advantages in vindicating some considered judgments while avoiding objections that arise from considering the effects of counterfactual adherence to principles.