Considering Reasonableness

Politics and Ethics Review 3 (2):163-80 (2007)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Despite the relative ease and regularity with which it is used by policymakers and the functional role that it often plays in the policy development process, the concept of reasonableness has essentially been overlooked by public policy scholars in their analysis of the factors influencing the development of public policy. However, the maintenance of the analytical status quo is likely to prove increasingly difficult. As the issues that governments must address become increasingly complicated and controversial and it becomes correspondingly more difficult to identify easily or clearly the most appropriate response to associated problems, policymakers will inevitably be forced to place greater reliance on the concept of reasonableness as the final court of appeal when seeking to determine the attractiveness and acceptability of policy decisions. Accordingly, it seems ‘reasonable’ to suggest that greater, explicit consideration be given to the concept of reasonableness and the role it does and should play in the development of public policy. This article simultaneously offers both a brief overview of the current situation with respect to the meaningful consideration of the concept of reasonableness by public policy scholars and practitioners and a preliminary argument for a reconsideration of the analytical status quo

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

What is reasonableness?James W. Boettcher - 2004 - Philosophy and Social Criticism 30 (5-6):597-621.
Reason, rationality, and reasonableness.Doan Travann - 2001 - Washington, D.C.: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy.
Moral Philosophy for Children and Character Education.Michael S. Pritchard - 2000 - International Journal of Applied Philosophy 14 (1):13-26.
Exercising Political Power Reasonably.Shaun P. Young - 2008 - Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 11 (2):255-72.
The (Un)Reasonableness of Rawlsian Rationality.Shaun P. Young - 2005 - South African Journal of Philosophy 24 (4):308-20.
Democratic reasonableness.Thomas A. Spragens - 2008 - Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 11 (2):193-214.
The rationality of reasonableness.Alan Gewirth - 1983 - Synthese 57 (2):225 - 247.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-07-30

Downloads
26 (#524,350)

6 months
3 (#445,838)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Shaun Young
University of Toronto, St. George

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Justice as fairness: a restatement.John Rawls (ed.) - 2001 - Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Taking rights seriously.Ronald Dworkin (ed.) - 1977 - London: Duckworth.
Political Liberalism.J. Rawls - 1995 - Tijdschrift Voor Filosofie 57 (3):596-598.
Justice as fairness: Political not metaphysical.John Rawls - 1985 - Philosophy and Public Affairs 14 (3):223-251.

View all 29 references / Add more references