Abstract
In the first volume of this Journal, Vanberg and Buchanan attempted to integrate contractarian and discourse models of agreement. Their interpretation of discourse ethics is inconsistent with the theory as presented by Jürgen Habermas. The present paper lays the groundwork for a reconstruction more faithful to Habermas's own theory. The possibility of a successful synthesis depends on blending aspects of strategic and communicative action. Appeal to the work of T.M. Scanlon and to Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments helps to clarify the difficulties in such a project.
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