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Manners order and respect these are all ideals we subscribe to In opposed positions we ought to be able to agree to disagree Todays world is built from structures of standards and reason but it is imperative to ask who constructed these norms and why We are more divided than ever beforealong lines of race gender class disabilityand its time to question who benefits the most What if our propensity to measure human behaviour against rules and reason is actually more problematic than it might seem

Kirsty Sedgman shows how power dynamics and the social biases involved have resulted in a wide acceptance of what people should and shouldnt do but they create discriminatory realities and amount to a societal faade that is dangerous for genuine social progress From taking the knee to breastfeeding in public from neighbourhood vigilantism to the Colston Fourand exploring ideas around ethics justice society and equality along the waySedgman explores notions of civility throughout history up to now

On Being Unreasonable mounts a vital and spirited defence of why and how being unreasonable can help improve the world It examines and parses the pros and cons of our rules around reason but leaves us with the rousing question What if behaving unreasonably at times might be the best way to bring about meaningful change that is long overdue