Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Promising the law and morals. 2. Promising and natural law. 3. Promising and Utilitarian case. 4. Promising and Non utilitarian Philosophies - - Intuitionism - - subjectivism - - Performatives and promises - - promising as a practice 5. The social context of promising. 6. The practice of promising - - The strength of the promise keeping principles - - Justifications for promise breaking - - why are promises made and kept -or broken? - - the intentions of the promisor - - the content of a promise - - How promises are made. 7. promises and other sources of obligation - - promises as consent - - promises as admissions - - mutual executory promises - - Unilateral gratuitous promises.