"In Aristotle's typology, where virtue is a mean between two opposing extremes, the opposite of a vice tends to be another vice. Courage and resolution are to be distinguished from my sort of cowardice as much as they are from the reckless bravado of the zealot or the mulishness of dogmatists incapable of recognizing when the other side has a point."
"At a time when political life tempts us to treat compromise as capitulation, her argument amounts to a defense of the habits that make common life possible."
Reasonableness is often mischaracterized as cowardice or neutrality in a passionate era. It is essential for fostering compromise and understanding in political life. The virtue of reasonableness, as articulated by Krista Lawlor in her book "Being Reasonable: The Case for a Misunderstood Virtue," emphasizes the importance of distinguishing it from vices like cowardice and dogmatism. This distinction is crucial for maintaining productive discourse and coexistence, especially when political tensions encourage viewing compromise as weakness.
Read at The New Yorker
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