BENJAMI N P H I BBS
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T H E M E TA P H Y S I C S O F J A M E S W I L S O N
The Metaphysics of James Wilson Benjamin Phibbs
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n A Theory of Justice, John Rawls tried to develop a conception of the social contract that does not rely on metaphysics. According to Allan Bloom, that experiment has failed. For Bloom, as for traditional contract thinkers, “metaphysics cannot be avoided” in political philosophy.1 Government is inevitably concerned with ends; thus, in order to develop a political system that is most conducive to man’s happiness, one must begin with a proper understanding of who man is. Rawls’ critical mistake is his confidence that metaphysics has no relevance to the creation of government. The political philosophy of American Founder James Wilson provides a counterexample. It is because Wilson believed that metaphysics does affect government that he devotes much intellectual energy to developing a proper understanding of philosophy prior to political theory. This essay outlines Wilson’s metaphysics and shows that it does indeed result in a different form of government than that envisioned by other thinkers of his time. M etaphysics Wilson grounds his metaphysics in God as the source of law. Before he asserts anything about reason or man, he begins with the understanding that God exists, that He has created the universe, and that He interacts with His creation. 1. Allan Bloom, “Justice: John Rawls Vs. The Tradition of Political Philosophy,” The American Political Science Review 69, no. 4 (June 1975): 651.
Vol. III, No. 2
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