Scanlon's contractualism requires principles no one could reasonably reject, but 'reasonable rejection' presupposes a threshold of bearability that collapses under guaranteed severe harm.

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Scanlon: # Scanlon Tim Scanlon is an influential American philosopher known for developing a theory of ethics based on the idea that actions are right if they could be justified to others through principles everyone could reasonably accept. Rather than focusing on happiness or duty, his approach emphasizes what we can defend to each other as fair-minded people, making morality fundamentally about mutual respect and agreement. He's considered one of the most important moral philosophers of our time because his ideas have reshaped how philosophers think about fairness, responsibility, and what we owe to one another.
contractualism: A moral theory presented as a genuine alternative to both consequentialism and Kantian ethics, one that coheres with distinctively non-utilitarian intuitions in certain key cases
reasonably reject(as used in ethics): Has good, rational grounds to object to or refuse to accept something as justified or fair.
severe harm(used to describe the worst-case scenario that breaks down the threshold): Serious, significant damage to a person's wellbeing—like extreme pain, permanent injury, or severe suffering.

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