PROMISSORY OBLIGATION

Abstract

Henry Sidgwick grounds promissory obligation in an obligation not to disappoint expectations. After explaining the view, I note the two standard current objections to expectation views—creating expectations is neither necessary nor sufficient for promissory obligation. I then suggest how Sidgwick (or any expectation theorist) could respond: one should agree that raising expectations is not sufficient for promissory obligation, and one can find harms, other than disappointed expectations, to explain why there is promissory obligation in cases in which expectations are not raised.