Blog Post

Evolution, Norms, and the Social Contract

Brian Skyrms.

I think of the social contract not as some monolithic unitary pact, but as an assemblage of norms. Norms are conventions that are backed by sanctions. Sometimes the sanctions are codified in the law and enforced by government. Sometimes norms are not explicit, but rather implicit in practice, and sanctions take the form of some type of social pressure.

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