Public reason
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Public reason is the phrase used by American philosopher John Rawls to refer to the common reason of all citizens in a pluralist society. Public reason giving involves justifying a particular position by way of reasons that people of different moral or political backgrounds could accept. In order to accomplish this, however, one must overcome what he refers to as the burdens of judgment, which can produce disagreement among reasonable citizens. These burdens include conflicting evidence, giving differing weights to considerations, conceptual indeterminacy, differing experiences and value conflicts.
[edit] External links
- Fabienne Peter: Rawls’ Idea of Public Reason and Democratic Legitimacy
- Legal Theory Lexicon: Public Reason
