Analysis of Scanlon’s Moral Motivation Theory

Any satisfactory moral theory needs to address the issue of moral motivation,"Why should a person have morality?"Breaking away from Hume’s theory of emotional motivation, Scanlon’s moral contractualism advocates a Kantian theory of rational motivation. Meanwhile, he abandons the Kantian view of formal rationality, and substitutes a substantive view of reason. On this basis, the moral reasoning of contractualism integrates the following factors, thereby offering an innovative answer to the above mentioned question: People want to get on well with others, so behaviors need to have an element of justifiability. This justifiability requirement arises from both our value systems and the requirement for reciprocal recognition. The moral justification of behavior is something we cannot reasonably reject. This kind of moral justification is of enormous importance and high priority.