179 Anthony Simon Laden doi: 10.47925/77.2.179 Three Pictures of Reasoning Anthony Simon Laden University of Illinois at Chicago Rachel Wahl’s discussion of reasoning in political dialogues on college campuses offers an abundance of riches. While there is much of what she says that warrants attention and invites engagement, I focus here on a single issue: the contrast she draws between two conceptions of reason and reasoning and their role in our understanding of the value of political dialogue. We agree that a certain common conception of reasoning distorts our vision of what happens and can happen in political dialogue. I am, however, less sure about the alternative she offers in its place, in large part because I am not entirely sure what that alternative is. So I am going to lay out three pictures of reasoning—the common one and two alternatives— and try to show what they might disclose about the point and promise of political dialogue. My hope is that this greater articulation of the felds of reasoning can improve our research and thinking about and participation in political dialogue. Let’s start, then, with the position Wahl clearly sets aside. According to this common picture, reasoning is an investigative activity. Its point is to work out the truth: what we should think or do. Our investigations count as reasoning if they follow a set of guidelines and norms that link premises, evidence and perhaps values with conclusions in a compelling fashion. This activity need not be a social one. I can reason with other people and I can reason alone. Sometimes other people improve my reasoning. Sometimes they just get in the way. If political dialogues are activities of reason in this sense, then they serve one of two purposes. Sometimes, they help partic- ipants fgure things out. At other times, and especially in the sorts of dia- logues Wahl studies, they offer an opportunity for people to try to persuade each other rationally. If we expect dialogues to serve these functions, then we PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION | Winston thompson, editor © 2021 Philosophy of Education Society