Kaalutlustest

Kaalutlustest is an Estonian term used in formal and academic contexts to refer to the set of considerations or deliberations that inform a decision, judgment, or analysis. In English, it is commonly translated as “considerations” or “deliberations.” The word derives from kaalutlus, meaning deliberation or weighing of factors, which in turn comes from the verb kaaluma, “to weigh.” The form kaalutlustest is a plural case form used to indicate “of the considerations” and appears in phrases such as kaalutlustest lähtuvalt, meaning “based on the considerations.”

Usage and scope

Kaalutlustest is used across disciplines such as philosophy, law, public policy, and journalism to reference the factors that are weighed when arriving at a conclusion. It often appears in discussions of justification, ethics, and policy analysis, where authors enumerate or reference the criteria and values that influenced a decision. In practice, kaalutlustest may encompass economic, social, legal, environmental, and ethical dimensions, depending on the context.

Usage notes

The term emphasizes the evaluative process rather than the conclusion itself. It is commonly paired with phrases like “lähtuvalt” (based on), “arvestades” (considering), or “võttes kaalutlustest” (taking into account the considerations). While closely related to “kaalutlused” (deliberations/considerations, in nominative form), kaalutlustest specifically signals possession or reference in a broader discourse.