David Gauthier's Theory Of Political Obligation

Introduction
Given that political obligation may be defined as an obligation to obey the rules and laws set by the state, although aside from this obligation, one would not feel obliged to do so, we find many explanations as to the motives of political obligation as set forth by David Gauthier. By nature, we find that men are competitive beings, due to the fact that they are appropriative creatures always seeking more goods, and more power. Gauthier suggests that "men find themselves in an increasingly competitive situation, in which the security of their property is continually decreasing". If men are driven by a continual desire to acquire more goods, as is suggested in the essay and the only way to acquire these goods is from other men, then it is reasonable to suggest that men are constantly in competition and negotiations in a contractual situation with one another. The purpose of men acquiring more goods and struggling for more power is "because they always lack the assurance that their means are sufficient". Gauthier continues this thought by adding "either the threat of scarcity inherent in the state of nature must be the basis for a necessarily competitive …show more content…
Ideology according to Gauthier is a part of the deep structure of self-consciousness. It is the capacity of human beings to conceive themselves in relation to other humans, institutions and the natural environment. This conception is is of a theoretical construct and therefore it is this theoretical construct that Gauthier refers to as ideology. With respect to the scope of Gauthier’s paper, the term ‘we’ or ‘us’ is restricted only to the inhabitants of Western Europe and places having social structures developed from Western Europe in the past three or four hundred years. It is because these persons have a common way of thinking and behaving that permits attributing an