David Gauthier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Gauthier
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| Born | 10 September 1932 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Died | 9 November 2023 (aged 91) |
| Education | University of Toronto (B.A. (Hons.), 1954) Harvard University (A.M., 1955) University of Oxford (B.Phil., 1957; D.Phil., 1961) |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Analytic Contractarianism Contractarian ethics Classical liberalism |
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Main interests
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Political philosophy, game theory, rational choice theory |
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Notable ideas
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Contractarian ethics (morals by agreement), constrained maximization, Gauthier's Lockean proviso |
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Influences
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Influenced
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David Gauthier (born September 10, 1932 – died November 9, 2023) was a Canadian philosopher. He is best known for his ideas about how people agree on rules for living together. This is called a social contract theory of morality. He wrote about these ideas in his 1986 book, Morals by Agreement.
Life and Career
David Gauthier was born in Toronto, Canada, on September 10, 1932. He studied at several well-known universities. These included the University of Toronto, Harvard University, and the University of Oxford.
Gauthier taught at the University of Toronto for many years. Later, in 1980, he moved to the University of Pittsburgh. He taught there for the rest of his career. He also visited and taught at other universities. These included UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Princeton.
In 1979, he became a member of the Royal Society of Canada. This is a special honor for Canadian scholars. An asteroid was even named after him: 15911 Davidgauthier. David Gauthier passed away on November 9, 2023, at the age of 91.
Philosophy
Gauthier wrote many important articles and books. Some of his books include Practical Reasoning and Morals by Agreement. He was very interested in how people make decisions. He also studied the history of political ideas. He looked at the works of famous thinkers like Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Gauthier believed that what we value is based on our own choices. He argued that it is smart to follow moral rules. These rules help everyone get along better. He called this idea constrained maximization. It means you agree to cooperate with others who also want to cooperate. If everyone cooperates, everyone benefits more in the long run.
Think of it like a game. If everyone tries to get everything for themselves, nobody wins much. But if people agree to work together, everyone can gain more. Gauthier's contractarian ethics suggests that moral rules are good because they make life better for all of us. This means that good moral thinking is a smart way to achieve our goals together.
See also
In Spanish: David Gauthier para niños
