Project 6.2

This PhD project examines the fragility of the social contract in the context of identity politics that undermines the stability and cohesion of many societies. It does so by combining theory and insights from the disciplines of philosophy and psychology. The aim of the project is to determine whether and how the social contract, and the institutions it supports, should be strengthened and what role social cohesion can and should play in the process. The project is based on a philosophical, normative assessment that is supported by empirical findings from psychology.

Liberal democracies are under pressure due to polarization and fragmentation as well as the underlying struggles of identity. As a consequence, they have become fragile. The aim of this project is to determine whether and how liberal democracy can and should be strengthened. To this end, it focuses on the social contract and the institutions that it supports, asking how a new social contract can provide robust basic rights against the background of core liberal values. Furthermore, what roles can and should identity and social cohesion play in this contract? Strong ties between individuals can keep a society together. However, in light of the liberal commitment to pluralism, individuals should also be free to pursue their own conception of the good life.

The main question of the project is normative. Hence, the main methods used are philosophical: conceptual and normative analysis. Core concepts are identity and the institution, as well as individual freedom, social cohesion and social contract. These can be used in the normative analysis, which is based on the social contract tradition. This tradition started with Thomas Hobbes (contractarianism) and has flourished ever since John Rawls (contractualism) proposed his theory of justice as fairness. The question is whether the tools of this social contract tradition can provide an answer to the crisis we are currently facing. In particular, can and should they be used to strengthen core liberal institutions?

Psychology is theoretically relevant, as psychologists have started using the notion of a social contract. It is also empirically relevant, as a subsidiary question is whether and how social contracts can strengthen social cohesion. This is primarily investigated by considering existing empirical findings from a simulated-society research paradigm, in which small groups of participants play a two-hour game according to the rules of a simulated society. This provides a unique opportunity to explore whether the perception of a social contract serves to hold society together, even (or particularly) in times of polarization and fear of societal breakdown.