CEPS PhD SEMINAR /// 29TH OCTOBER /// What Does Public Reason Demand of Political Parties? A Brief Comparative Theoretical Analysis by Joana Pinto

[Joana Pinto]

Dear all,

We’re pleased to announce our next CEPS PhD seminar, scheduled for October 29th  (Wednesday), 15:00 Lisbon time,  with a talk by Joana Pinto, entitled What Does Public Reason Demand of Political Parties? A Brief Comparative Theoretical Analysis. This seminar follows a hybrid format, so feel welcome to join us either at the CEPS Room or online through this link.

Abstract: Theories of public reason play a central role in liberal democracies, offering standards for the legitimacy of laws amid deep moral and political pluralism. At their core, these theories claim that laws are legitimate only if justifiable in some sense to all citizens. Yet, little attention has been paid to how these theories apply to political parties—the main actors in legislative decision-making. This paper addresses that gap by exploring what different theories of public reason imply for the role and functioning of political parties. It focuses on three prominent models: (1) Political Liberal Public Reason (e.g., Rawls in Political Liberalism), (2) Classical Liberal Public Reason (e.g., Gerald Gaus), and (3) Deliberative Public Reason (e.g., Jürgen Habermas). For each, it asks three guiding questions: How does the theory define public reason? What implications does the theory have for the deliberative and aggregative roles of political parties? And what philosophical or practical objections arise when these principles are applied to partisan politics? This comparison reveals that applying public reason to partisan politics is not straightforward: each theory offers both guidance and limitations. Still, by clarifying what different models demand of political parties, we can better assess how ideals of legitimacy, justification, and deliberation might shape democratic practice.

Bio: Joana Pinto is a PhD candidate in Political Philosophy at the Centre for Ethics, Politics and Society. Her doctoral research focuses on the application of public reason to the functioning of political parties, arguing that public reason must be reconciled with the deliberative and aggregative functions that political parties perform in democratic systems. She holds a Master's degree in Political Philosophy (2023) from the University of Minho, where she completed her dissertation on how political parties can advance or undermine the theory of public reason proposed by John Rawls and, more broadly, the project of political liberalism. She also holds a Law degree (2021) from the same institution, having pursued an interdisciplinary academic path that connects normative political theory with legal and institutional analysis.

With warm regards, 

The organizers,

Joana Pinto and João Rodrigues.