Able to be predicted or anticipated based on current knowledge or trends. Often used in legal contexts to describe consequences that a reasonable person could have predicted.
Formed from 'foresee' (from Old English 'foreseon,' meaning to see beforehand) plus the suffix '-able.' The term gained prominence in legal language, particularly in discussions of liability and reasonable care.
In law, 'foreseeable' is crucial for determining responsibility - you're generally only liable for consequences that a reasonable person could have anticipated. This makes it both a practical and philosophical question: what should we be able to predict about the future?
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