The French loanword “raisonneur” translates literally as “reasoner,” and it’s tightly connected with the world of drama, thanks to French playwright Molière (known to some English readers as “the French Shakespeare”). Molière’s plays were concerned with moral issues, and he introduced the character of the “raisonneur” as a way to make his conflicts more nuanced. Molière’s raisonneurs were successful in complicating his plays; their roles remain a subject of scholarly debate today.