This episode discusses the rational necessity of moving from isolated egoism to a strategic social agreement. We examine how unlivable conditions of fear and struggle force us to agree to behavioral rules, provided there is a power to ensure everyone complies.

• Defining the descriptive claim that all voluntary human actions are rooted in self-benefit.
• Exploring why altruism is excluded as a moral duty under the principle that "ought implies can".
• Identifying the specific factors of resource scarcity and fear that make the state of nature unlivable.
• Analyzing the failure of independent reasoning when it leads to self-defeating outcomes for the individual.
• Outlining the conditions required for a rational agreement to govern social behavior.

Does the need for a social contract suggest that human  ...