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Florence Devouard wrote:
Last, you mention adulthood. Would not it be more "adult" precisely to pledge to respect others and their activity, to pledge to always try to have our mission in mind, to follow common values shared by the group; to respect a code of conduct and promise to inform in conflict of interests you might be submitted to; as opposed to be maintained under a legal threat ?
In a civilized society, the legal system is where we go to resolve our disputes when we find we *couldn't* work them out amicably in person like we would prefer to.
Contracts are a formal way to make agreements -- pledges -- written down, so that *if* a dispute occurs in the future, we can all sit down and point at the agreement, reason about it, and if it ends up needing to be decided with assistance from the law, the judge will have a chance of figuring out what it is the parties agreed to.
Being an adult is about responsibility, and that means planning for contingencies.
That's why we put our money in banks instead of under the mattress, why we get health insurance instead of hiding from the doctor, and why we write down contracts instead of making all agreements under the table.
- -- brion