>> our society works on the principle of contract The principle of contract is a leaking abstraction. Society has always worked on the principle of obligatio

>> our society works on the principle of contract The principle of contract is a leaking abstraction. Society has always worked on the principle of obligation. Parents are obligated to protect and provide for their children. Rulers in power are obligated to protect their subjects from external, physical threats. Those well off, while part of a society, are obligated to provide for those who have been hit by hard times. This is true now, and it was also true before the idea of contract. It may be legal to have lots of kids and give them all up for adoption, but you will be ostracised by your friends and family for doing so. It may be legal for a president to stand down their military and choose not to resist a foreign invasion even when there's a good chance they could defend the country successfully, but the people will stop following the president and there's a high chance of a military coup. It's also happens when the well-off are least happy about having to contribute to society during hard times, they get rounded up and killed.