Being Reasonable

Catalog description

In everyday life, we ask each other to be reasonable, and we fault unreasonable behavior in ourselves and others. Moreover, the Anglo-American legal system makes extensive use of the "reasonable person standard" in everything from negligence to administrative law. What is it to be a reasonable person? What do we mean by "reasonable"? This course will look at applications of the concept and at attempts by philosophers and legal theorists to understand what reasonableness is. First preference to Sophomores; second preference to Freshman. No prior Philosophy courses needed.