now justify the concept of social contract by assuming that it’s “sacred”.
I misspoke. Liberal political theories are based on social contracts, and to a certain extent, liberal societies are based on the notion that contracts are enforceable. To embrace cruel and unusual punishment in violation of this social contract would undercut the legitimacy of a liberal society.
In other words: it should be possible to design a just society by proposing a set of rules which apply universally.
