The social contract is founded on the premise that a person’s moral and/or political obligations are dependent on a contract or agreement that binds society together. The new philanthropy proposed by Shy Kurtz supports the social contract as part of its very foundation. The sustainable social contact is composed of people who come together for a common purpose and a mutual benefit, called transinteraction. Transinteraction is a portmanteau of the words transaction and interaction. Kurtz’s concept of the social contract resides in a spirit of philanthropy. In order for society to flourish, the health of the individual is the responsibility of the whole. Transinteraction takes place within a PhilanthroFinance system, which is focused on a Philanthronomic system that tries to speed up the movement of monetary currency so that it can be used to help others. The social contract is what binds society to the idea of a PhilanthroFinance system; it is what sustains a philanthropy-focused vision. In writing this article, I picked up The Death and Trial of Socrates, by Plato. In an attempt to explain the importance of a social contract, I came upon Socrates’ analogy of a person who is engaged in physical training. In terms of a political and moral obligation, Socrates speaks of a social contract that binds all of society. Crito tries to convince Socrates to escape from prison after he is sentenced to death for allegedly corrupting the young men of Athens, and not believing in the gods in whom the city believes. Socrates responds to him with an analogy. Should a man in training pay attention to the praise and blame of any man, or listen to the trainer, or physician? Crito says that a man should listen to the trainer or physician, welcoming blame and praise from the specialist only. Socrates explains that if a man in physical training does not heed the advice of the specialist, he can cause his body harm: â€â€if we ruin that which is improved by health and corrupted by disease by not following the opinions of those who know, is life worth living for us when that is ruined?...We should not think so much of what the majority will say about us, but what he will say who understands justice and injustice, the one, that is, and the truth itself.†Through his choice to reside in Athens, Socrates believes that he is bound to abide by the laws of the land. If the people of Athens find him guilty, then he will obey their command and meet death quietly. When one agrees to a social contract it is their duty to abide by it. If one does not abide by the rules laid out in the contract, it is a violation against society. The social contract is an outward expression of an inward conviction; it binds us to a certain way of interacting with others that is mutually beneficial, creating a more desirable state of living. Where Kurtz’s concept of a social contract differs is the primary focus on philanthropic giving, where one can do well by doing good. What if we could form a social contract that revolves around philanthropy? What if all people as global citizens honoured a social contract that bound them to a philanthropic focus that benefitted them as well as the people they helped? It is about creating a society based on giving. Socrates shares in Plato’s Apology that â€A man who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if he is to survive for even a short time.†Kurtz’s concept of the social contract provides a philanthropy-centred focus on a private as well as public life.
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