REASONABLENESS: OLD VIRTUE FOR A NEW ERA. GUEST EDITORS’ PREFACE

This special issue examines how the Rawlsian notion of reasonableness is strained by the epistemic and technological dynamics of digital democracy. Digital environments, defined by features such as echo chambers, misinformation, and fragmented public discourse, foster increasingly superficial and reactive forms of political engagement through social media and reduce citizens’ willingness to shoulder the burdens of judgment required by public reason. The contributions explore pedagogical strategies grounded in civic virtue ethics, culturally situated or weakened models of reasonableness, and non-ideal approaches introducing asymmetrical epistemic and civic duties. Together, they show why reasonableness remains normatively significant despite the pressures it faces today.