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Thursday, February 05, 2009

Knee-jerk Jack and the Social Contract

Knee-jerk Jack and the Social Contract

Dear (insert prison number here)

As you are aware, philosophers signed you up to the Social Contract whilst you were still in your mother’s womb. You may think that this is an unfair contract term, however, that has got nothing whatsoever to do with the Social Contract. Even though you were convicted of a criminal law offence, and the Social Contract was probably not even mentioned at your trial, nevertheless it is implied that by your conduct you have violated it and therefore must face the moral sanctions that go along with it.

In modern terminology, the Social Contract can be equated with spam email. Somebody somewhere down the line has subscribed you up to receive it without your consent. Sometimes there is a button “to unsubscribe click here”. With the Social Contract it is a bit more complicated, and will be looked at in greater detail at some later date in the not too distant future.

With all best wishes

Knee-jerk Jack Straw

P.S. I understand that a certain Jailhouselawyer claims that…

"The Social Contract is not worth the paper it’s written on Knee-jerk Jack".

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