I develop a novel, rights-based conception of contract—the “democratic conception”—that can deliver a justification for granting a sphere of freedom to contracting parties while setting principled limits on that grant. It justifies doctrines—including the penalty doctrine, the doctrine of substantial performance, a robust doctrine of changed circumstances, and a robust doctrine of unconscionability—that an influential group of contract theorists argue set unprincipled limits on the parties’ equal procedural freedom. My account shows how these doctrines can be rendered compatible with a robust principle of freedom of contract that is grounded in the parties’ rights.

中文翻译：

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将合同自由置于其位置


我提出了一种新颖的、基于权利的合同概念——“民主概念”——它可以为授予缔约方自由范围提供理由，同时对该授予设定原则性限制。它为一些原则辩护——包括惩罚原则、实质性履行原则、环境变化的稳健原则和不合情理的稳健原则——一群有影响力的合同理论家认为，这些原则对当事人的平等程序自由设定了无原则的限制。我的叙述表明，这些原则如何能够与以当事人权利为基础的强有力的合同自由原则相兼容。