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Abstract

Erickson and Thompson articulate and defend reasonableness as an important civic educational aim for early childhood education. In this response, I argue that further clarity regarding the nature and scope of "reasonableness" as an educational concept or idea is needed. Is such a concept fundamentally political, or does it capture a broader notion of educational value? My view is that, from an educational point of view, the need for reasonable deliberation in plural societies makes salient that there are certain situations that mature moral agents should be prepared to handle (i.e., conflict about basic political matters). But this is merely part of a broader moral education. To ignore this involves risks real downsides to an education for reasonableness. I explain why I think this is the case, pointing to some sharp differences between the nature of civic deliberation and moral deliberation, more broadly.

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