{"id":4073,"date":"2025-03-11T13:56:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T13:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/mancept\/?page_id=4073"},"modified":"2025-08-28T04:55:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T03:55:59","slug":"theories-of-public-reason","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/mancept\/mancept-workshops\/list-of-panels-a-z-2025\/theories-of-public-reason\/","title":{"rendered":"Theories of Public Reason"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ next_background_color=”#000000″ global_module=”322″][et_pb_fullwidth_menu global_parent=”322″ menu_id=”8″ submenu_direction=”downwards” fullwidth_menu=”off” module_class=”main-navigation” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_layout=”dark” \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ module_class=”header-image-section” _builder_version=”3.0.74″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|” custom_css_main_element=”padding-top:0px” transparent_background=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”||0px|” custom_margin=”||0px|” parallax_method_1=”off” module_class=”header-image” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/mancept\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/257\/2022\/02\/Oxford-Roadcrop.jpg” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ border_color_all=”#ffffff” custom_margin=”0px|||” animation_direction=”left” use_border_color=”off” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.74″ custom_padding=”||0px|” transparent_background=”off” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#1d1d1d”][et_pb_row custom_padding=”||0px|” custom_margin=”||0px|” parallax_method_1=”off” module_class=”breadcrumbs-row” _builder_version=”3.0.47″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Breadcrumbs (do not remove)” module_class=”breadcrumbs” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” module_alignment=”left” custom_css_main_element=”border-bottom: 1px solid #ececed;” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\nMANCEPT<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n

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Theories of Public Reason<\/h1>\n

Room – HBS G35<\/em><\/p>\n

Gabriele Badano (University of York); Blain Neufeld (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This panel seeks to bring together those working on issues related to public reason, broadly conceived. Public reason is an influential framework for understanding how liberal democracies can make fair decisions for diverse citizenries. There is now an extensive literature around public reason: Alongside John Rawls\u2019s well-known account, variants of the idea have been developed in the work of Gerald Gaus, Jonathan Quong, Andrew Lister, Kevin Vallier, Christie Hartley, Lori Watson, and others.<\/p>\n

This panel will have a broad remit within this topic. So, we will explore competing justifications of public reason and other classic debates internal to public reason liberalism. However, we will also explore newer topics like the role of political parties, the media, and political activists within public reasoning. We will also discuss key issues related to political liberalism that go beyond the role of public reason within it. Examples include the question of whether the liberal state should concern itself with problematic informal norms, for instance governing intimate relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Wednesday 3rd<\/sup> September<\/strong><\/p>\n

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11:00-12:30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Registration<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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12:30-13:30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Lunch<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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13:30-14:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Welcome Speech<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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14:00-16:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Session 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Collis Tahzib (University of Southern California): Can Political Liberalism Adequately Critique Culture?<\/p>\n

Shiying\u00a0Li (University of Wisconsin-Madison): How Political is the Personal: Political liberalism, State Intervention, and Intimate Relationships<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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16:00-16:30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Tea and Coffee Break (optional)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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16:30-17:30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Session 1 (continued)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blain Neufeld (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee): Public Reason, Abortion, and Citizens of Faith<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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17:45-19:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Wine Reception<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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19:30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Conference Dinner<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Thursday 4th<\/sup> September<\/strong><\/p>\n

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9:30-11:30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Session 2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joana Pinto (Minho University): What Public Reason Demands of Political Parties? A Brief Comparative Theoretical Analysis<\/p>\n

Gabriele Badano (University of York): Militant Political Liberalism, the Media, and Democratic Erosion<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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11:30-12:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Tea and Coffee Break (optional)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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12:00-13:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Session 2 (continued)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andrei Bespalov (Pompeu Fabra University): Fake News, Conspiracy Theories, and Epistemic Disobedience: A Public Reason Perspective<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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13:00-14:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Lunch<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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14:00-16:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Session 3<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anthony Reeves (Binghamton University): Original Authority and the Claim to Public Justification<\/p>\n

Kyle\u00a0van Oosterum (University of Oxford and UCL): Civic Solidarity and Public Reason<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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16:00-16:30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Tea and Coffee Break (optional)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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16:30-17:30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Session 3 (continued)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Xintong Wei (University College Dublin): Beyond Reasonable Disagreement: Rethinking the Epistemic Basis of Public Reason<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Friday 5th<\/sup> September<\/strong><\/p>\n

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9:30-11:30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Session 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jacopo Morelli (University of Modena-Reggio Emilia): Agreement and Action: Rethinking Public Reason for Real Democracy<\/p>\n

Vikas Beniwal (University of Mississippi<\/span>): Rethinking Rawls\u2019s Public Reason as a Solution to the Assurance Problem<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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11:30-12:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Tea and Coffee Break (optional)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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12:00-13:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Session 4 (continued)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zsolt Kapelner (University of Oslo): Agenda Setting and Public Reason<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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13:00-14:00<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Lunch<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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