 A second objection to the associative model consists in pointing out that even if we concede that the model can justify obligations that are owed to members of small groups, which are structured around close personal interactions, this is not yet to say that it can do the same with obligations that are owed members of large groups, such as our political communities, most of whom we never have a chance to meet or interact with (Simmons 2001: Chapter 4; but see Horton 2010 and Gilbert 2006). It’s unclear, however, how forceful this obligation is. Suppose that I’ve been unable to interact with my parents or my siblings for most—or even all—of my life, for reasons that none of us could control. Does that mean that my special obligations to them are automatically cancelled? Perhaps, under certain circumstances, but not necessarily.