The Concept Of A Reasonable Man In Tort Law: A Need For Paradigm Shift?

The concept of a reasonable man permeates the periscope of the Nigerian law of tort. It is a safety net for judges to dispense justice based on a shadowy personality, a veil by which they interpret and judge the standard of conduct of a defendant. This is pertinent and very germane due to the ever lengthening apportionments ascribed to such a personality, and more importantly the ever widening scope of torts to which actions and conducts are judged by reference to the reasonable man and its application in law of contract and criminal law. This article makes a compelling examination of this concept and its continued relevance to tort and by extension civil litigations and judgments. It recommends that for now the doctrine remains as it is flexible enough to admit to peculiar sociocultural realities of local jurisdictions wherever applicable.