Abstract: There are three main sorts of theorizing found in modern political theory. First, the contract-centered approach, which asks after the political institutions that people would choose if they were placed in a suitable position of choice. Second, the value-centered approach, which asks after the goods or rights that institutions should realize and investigates the requirements of those values. And third, the institution-centered approach, which takes different values and asks whether they are institutionally feasible, whether the arrangements they require can be reliably set up and sustained. The final chapter looks at each of these kinds of theorizing, exploring the impact of holistic individualism, in particular holism, on the different enterprises.

Keywords: contract, feasibility, republicanism, value,