Reasonableness in Liberal Political Philosophy

Previously published as a special issue of the Critical Review of Social and Political Philosophy, this collection offers a thought-provoking critique of the role of the concept of reasonableness in liberal political theory, focusing on the proposed relationship between reasonableness and the establishment and preservation of a just and stable liberal polity.The essays explore the explicit and implicit use of the idea of reasonableness, presenting an analysis that incorporates normative and empirical observations and employs a number of different analytical approaches, including liberalism, feminism, environmentalism, Marxism, and communitarianism. This unique book provides in a single volume a critique that engages not only a vast array of issues but also a diversity of critical perspectives. It not only rectifies a deficiency in the existing scholarship, but also addresses the issues of socio-political justice and stability, offering new, insightful critiques that respond to the increasingly complex circumstances and conflicts that confront life in contemporary pluralistic societies. Reasonableness in Liberal Political Philosophy will be a valuable resource for those interested in liberal political theory and its potential usefulness in helping to secure a just and stable polity.

Shaun P. Young is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Political Science at York University, and a visiting Fellow at McLaughlin College, York University. He is the author of Beyond Rawls: An Analysis of the Concept of Political Liberalism and contributing editor of Political Liberalism: Variations on a Theme. His work has also appeared in various scholarly journals, including the Journal of Social Philosophy, the European Journal of Political Theory, Ethics, The Review of Politics, the Journal of Politics, Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review, Philosophy in Review, Theoria, Contemporary Political Theory, the Canadian Journal of Political Science, and Canadian Public Administration. Forthcoming projects include a book entitled Reasonable Public Policy.