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Being Reasonable: The Case for a Misunderstood Virtue
A leading philosopher explores what it means to be reasonable—and why it matters for the well-being of our society.
Reasonableness plays many roles in our lives. In Anglo-American law, it is the yardstick for a wide range of behavior—the “reasonable-person standard” governs everything from contract enforcement to killing in self-defense. In politics, a state can maintain a liberal democracy only if its citizens are reasonable. In ordinary life, we hold each other accountable to We criticize the unreasonable of bosses who demand too much of our time or of partners who make decisions without regard for our preferences.
But what does it mean to be reasonable? Being reasonable is not the same as being rational. It is also different from being thoughtful. In Being Reasonable, Krista Lawlor argues that a reasonable person seeks to understand what is valuable. A reasonable person must be rational enough to figure out what is valuable and thoughtful enough to care about what other people find valuable, but rationality and thoughtfulness alone do not suffice to make one reasonable. Even an ideally rational and thoughtful person might fail to understand, or lack the concern to understand, what is valuable.
Being Reasonable is the first comprehensive study of reasonableness. Lawlor provides an account of the nature of reasonableness and, further, explains how we manage to be reasonable. Humans discover what is valuable by listening to their emotions and by listening to each other. By taking command over our emotions, and by interacting attentively with others, we can live up to the standard set by society and law.
Reasonableness plays many roles in our lives. In Anglo-American law, it is the yardstick for a wide range of behavior—the “reasonable-person standard” governs everything from contract enforcement to killing in self-defense. In politics, a state can maintain a liberal democracy only if its citizens are reasonable. In ordinary life, we hold each other accountable to We criticize the unreasonable of bosses who demand too much of our time or of partners who make decisions without regard for our preferences.
But what does it mean to be reasonable? Being reasonable is not the same as being rational. It is also different from being thoughtful. In Being Reasonable, Krista Lawlor argues that a reasonable person seeks to understand what is valuable. A reasonable person must be rational enough to figure out what is valuable and thoughtful enough to care about what other people find valuable, but rationality and thoughtfulness alone do not suffice to make one reasonable. Even an ideally rational and thoughtful person might fail to understand, or lack the concern to understand, what is valuable.
Being Reasonable is the first comprehensive study of reasonableness. Lawlor provides an account of the nature of reasonableness and, further, explains how we manage to be reasonable. Humans discover what is valuable by listening to their emotions and by listening to each other. By taking command over our emotions, and by interacting attentively with others, we can live up to the standard set by society and law.
- GenresNonfictionPhilosophy
215 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 17, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
A reasonable approach to being reasonable!
What does it mean to be reasonable? This question is intriguing and broad-ranging, and philosophy professor Krista Lawlor explores it in a book that has a lot to satisfy general readers and enough scholarship to satisfy a more academic audience as well.
Being reasonable is not exactly the same as being rational, although a reasonable person needs to think rationally. Social emotional intelligence also plays a role. Reasonable people are also thoughtful and caring and try to look at the entire picture, including the perspective of other people involved as well as their own values. It is a hard term to define and an equally hard one to deal with.
In her exploration of reasonableness Lawlor introduces readers to the thinking of a number of philosophers and other writers like Oliver Wendell Holmes but also extends the discussion into the real world. There is an entire chapter, for example, on Reasonableness and the Law that discusses topics like driving speed, breach of contract, and stalking and another on reasonableness in political life. The book did a good job of making me think about its subject and about my own approach to a number of its topics. The chapter on Reasonable Emotion especially made me muse about things like how reasonable emotions can motivate us to do unreasonable things. It also reminds the reader that reasonable people really can disagree!
Overall, Being Reasonable strikes a good balance between academic thinking and application to broader life.It also left me with a smile on my face, a very reasonable way to conclude any book! It provided a lot of food for thought for me personally, and I expect it would be equally good fodder for my Sunday Philosophers or similar book discussion groups.
I received an advance review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Harvard University Press.
What does it mean to be reasonable? This question is intriguing and broad-ranging, and philosophy professor Krista Lawlor explores it in a book that has a lot to satisfy general readers and enough scholarship to satisfy a more academic audience as well.
Being reasonable is not exactly the same as being rational, although a reasonable person needs to think rationally. Social emotional intelligence also plays a role. Reasonable people are also thoughtful and caring and try to look at the entire picture, including the perspective of other people involved as well as their own values. It is a hard term to define and an equally hard one to deal with.
In her exploration of reasonableness Lawlor introduces readers to the thinking of a number of philosophers and other writers like Oliver Wendell Holmes but also extends the discussion into the real world. There is an entire chapter, for example, on Reasonableness and the Law that discusses topics like driving speed, breach of contract, and stalking and another on reasonableness in political life. The book did a good job of making me think about its subject and about my own approach to a number of its topics. The chapter on Reasonable Emotion especially made me muse about things like how reasonable emotions can motivate us to do unreasonable things. It also reminds the reader that reasonable people really can disagree!
Overall, Being Reasonable strikes a good balance between academic thinking and application to broader life.It also left me with a smile on my face, a very reasonable way to conclude any book! It provided a lot of food for thought for me personally, and I expect it would be equally good fodder for my Sunday Philosophers or similar book discussion groups.
I received an advance review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Harvard University Press.
May 9, 2026
This book is especially valuable for the way it contrasts being reasonable with being rational. Being rational can include being utterly selfish — indeed, standard models of economic rationality demand this. Being reasonable requires considering what others value. Although this is evident from our everyday use of these words, Lawlor reveals why this overlooked distinction matters, immensely, to a pluralistic democracy.
This is the rare work of contemporary philosophy that is utterly lucid and relevant for lay readers, without being in any way dumbed down. Lawlor minimizes technical terms, introduces them carefully when necessary, and uses plenty of relatable examples.
The only criticism I have is really a criticism of us. It is hard to talk a political view today without imagining getting a chance to yell it. We can’t yell at people to be reasonable. To read this book, I had to quiet down and remember a time when I believed we might be reasonable. Being reasonable again might be the most important task ahead of us, and this is the book to get clear on why and on what that would mean.
This is the rare work of contemporary philosophy that is utterly lucid and relevant for lay readers, without being in any way dumbed down. Lawlor minimizes technical terms, introduces them carefully when necessary, and uses plenty of relatable examples.
The only criticism I have is really a criticism of us. It is hard to talk a political view today without imagining getting a chance to yell it. We can’t yell at people to be reasonable. To read this book, I had to quiet down and remember a time when I believed we might be reasonable. Being reasonable again might be the most important task ahead of us, and this is the book to get clear on why and on what that would mean.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews