How Civility Works / Keith J. Bybee.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bybee, Keith J., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Courtesy--Political aspects--United States.

Courtesy.

Political culture--United States.

Political culture.

Freedom of expression--United States.

Freedom of expression.

United States--Politics and government.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (80 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Stanford, CA : Stanford University Press, [2020]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Is civility dead? Americans ask this question every election season, but their concern is hardly limited to political campaigns. Doubts about civility regularly arise in just about every aspect of American public life. Rudeness runs rampant. Our news media is saturated with aggressive bluster and vitriol. Our digital platforms teem with trolls and expressions of disrespect. Reflecting these conditions, surveys show that a significant majority of Americans believe we are living in an age of unusual anger and discord. Everywhere we look, there seems to be conflict and hostility, with shared respect and consideration nowhere to be found. In a country that encourages thick skins and speaking one's mind, is civility even possible, let alone desirable? In How Civility Works, Keith J. Bybee elegantly explores the "crisis" in civility, looking closely at how civility intertwines with our long history of boorish behavior and the ongoing quest for pleasant company. Bybee argues that the very features that make civility ineffective and undesirable also point to civility's power and appeal. Can we all get along? If we live by the contradictions on which civility depends, then yes, we can, and yes, we should.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

1. THE PROMISE OF CIVILITY

2. CIVILITY DEFINED

3. THE EXCELLENCE OF FREE EXPRESSION

4. ARE YOU JUST BEING POLITE?

5. STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Jul 2020)

ISBN:

9781503601826

150360182X

OCLC:

1178769527