 Holmes’s discussion of the tort of negligence drew attention to another set of philosophical questions about tort law. One of the elements of the tort of negligence requires that the plaintiff establish that the defendant failed to exercise reasonable care. The standard of care is said to be “objective” in the sense that the inquiry is not about whether the defendant exercised the most care of which they were capable but rather whether the defendant exercised the degree of care that a reasonable person would exercise in the circumstances. The leading case involved a farmer who was warned that his hayrick was at risk of spontaneous combustion; his well-meaning attempt to reduce the risk increased it, and the resulting fire spread to some cottages owned by his neighbor. Although the court accepted his claim that he had acted to the best of his abilities, he was held liable anyway. Holmes marks the contrast in terms of the question before the court: 