A reasonable person is one who is open to evidence and persuasion by argument, and not mentally ill or unintelligent. A reasonable person makes decisions on the basis of all relevant readily obtainable information. Moreover, he can be persuaded by arguments pro and con. While not every psychological abnormality, e.g., a mild neurosis, prevents a person from being reasonable, severe abnormalities involving reality distortion do. Finally, a reasonable person is intelligent in the sense of being able to understand principles and the types of legislation for which they provide reasons in various circumstances. Of course, it is assumed that the reader is a reasonable person.
(Michael D. Bayles, "Legislating Morality," Wayne Law Review 22 [March 1976]: 759-80, at 762 n. 14)
