Abstract

The concept of promise has lately returned to the philosophical arena. As a result, we can observe through a new perspective the relationship between the individual and society, action and justice. Furthermore, it addresses the crucial question on the connection between ethical and political theory. In this paper we will examine the genealogy of promise and its relation to contract theories, the transition from the early modern tradition of natural law to modern political theory. The central themes in the tradition of natural law revolve around ethics, juristic theory and the philosophy of Law. In this way, promise, agreement, vows correlate with the notion of contract and, generally, juridical conventions. The subsequent development of contract theories, however, underscores the moral character of promise in contrast to the notion of contract, which claims a strict, technical, juridical character. As a conclusion to the investigation of this difference, we will examine a question that refers to two contradictory theoretical views: is promise a precondition or a result of contract? In so doing, we will focus on the implications of the argument that promise is on the root of the social contract or that obligations and agreements originate in the state, not from the individuals.