Giving reasons

Abstract

The practice of providing reasons for decisions has long been considered an essential aspect of legal culture. In this article, Frederick Schauer explores the logic of giving reasons. What is the structural relationship between a reason and the result that it is a reason for? What commitments, if any, attach to giving a reason? Professor Schauer concludes that giving reasons involves committing, and that this insight can inform our understanding of why giving reasons might be encouraged in some spheres yet discouraged in others.