THE FRAGILITY OF CIVILITY: VIRTUE, CIVIL SOCIETY,AND TRAGIC BREAKDOWNS OF CIVILITY
THE FRAGILITY OF CIVILITY: VIRTUE, CIVIL SOCIETY,AND TRAGIC BREAKDOWNS OF CIVILITY
Author(s): Andrew FialaSubject(s): Philosophy
Published by: Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: civility; civil Society; virtue ethics; liberal political theory
Summary/Abstract: This paper explores civility as a virtue for individuals within the sphere of civil society. Civil society is conceived as consisting of voluntary associations regulated by persuasion, praise, and shame. The virtue of civility is a key value for members of the associations of civil society. The paper considers circumstances in which institutions of civil society breakdown and in which unscrupulous and un-civil operators take advantage of more civil members. While admitting that civility is a fragile virtue, the paper concludes that best solution to threats to civility is to avoid cynicism and to cultivate common-sense moral behavior that models civility.
Journal: Dialogue and Universalism
- Issue Year: 2013
- Issue No: 3
- Page Range: 109-122
- Page Count: 14
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF