Civility

by Stephen L. Carter

Book Overview

Something horrible has happened to civility. We can no longer hold political discussions without screaming at each other, so our democracy is dying. We can no longer look at strangers without suspicion and even hostility, so our social life is dying. We can no longer hold public conversation about morality without trading vicious accusations, so our moral life is dying. All the skills of living a common life-what Alexis de Tocqueville called -the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060977590
• ISBN13: 9780060977597
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Riveting! Does a valuable service in challenging our priorities.

This book, by an author and man struggling with fundamental issues, has much to say about our public (and private) agendas. At its essence, it makes a strong case against neglect of families and child rearing in our public discourse and morality. As a one-time, long ago professor of so-called "political science" I am (and was then) embarrassed to recall how we skirted these fundamental topics - unlike philosphers like Rousseau, Plato, etc. - and focused on more manageable concerns such as political parties, Congress, etc. (In fact, my discomfort with that academic displine led me out of academia.) A conscientious reader of this work will not emerge unscathed. Of course it's not the definitive book, with inevitable shortcomings, but it receives my highest recommendation - and I don't even agree with him in all respects. And by the way, it is clearly written and easy to read, not a ponderous academic tome.

Excellent review of "good behavior"

Civility This book is not a book of etiquette. It is an historical review, leading to how personal behavior affects our society. It is not a "feel-good" book about success or personal growth. It is spiritually aligned within the Judeo-Christian tradition, and makes a solid contribution in proposing the need of this influence in our society. It is a classic of contemporary thought, and could well be a textbook in a class on ethics in a Christian college. The actual issues of ethics (doing good) are thoroughly explained here. Highly recommended.

An engrossing read. An Intelligent and Detailed Look

More engrossing than most books of this type that I've read. For those of us that never had the advantage of Miss Manners, this book answers the questions of why to be civil and whether the idea really has validity today. I highly recommend this book!

We Need this Book

Stephen Carter brings a moral dimension to the concerns of civility. For himself he bases this on the Christian duty to love our neighbors, but his moral concerns transcend religious and secular boundaries and easily translates into many different world views. This love of neighbors includes all neighbors, not just ones we happen to like or agree with. The metaphor of fellow passengers on the train of life recurs throughout his work with great effectiveness. He describes civility as welcoming the stranger without trying to make an enemy or a brother out of everyone. He brings many poignant examples from the early civil rights movement as well as providing many useful everyday examples.Professor Carter casts issues of civility both in the religious and political arenas. This doesn't come off as set of rules for etiquette, but rather as a revealing of the deeper reasoning upon which we build such rules. We emerge with a view of civility which neither reflects the unreasonable value abandoning fears of offending others manifest in political correctness, nor the insensitive idealism which the later civil rights movement unfortunately collapsed into. This view allows us to live in a creative harmony in which we can both stick to our ideals and deal civilly with those who do not share them.As a person who has in the past self-identified as an "atheist," I found that Mr. Carter seems to have some blind spots in understanding that point of view. He clearly directs his message toward an interfaith audience, not strictly Christians though he uses his particular religious understandings to make his points. Regardless, I think even more secular thinkers can profit from his message, and I think they would do themselves a disservice if they skipped his book merely on these grounds. Where he doesn't seem to understand more secular thinking, he certainly acknowledges it and deals with it very . . . well . . . civilly. I even found his general idea of the properly subversive role of religion in a secular democracy well in tune with the American spirit of the first Amendment free-exercise and non-establishment tradition. I think if more religious people followed this model, they would find themselves more effectively participating in our society and expressing their values rather than reaping the self-constructed backlash alienation which the religious right has sown through their deeply uncivil behavior in the last few decades. He soberly reminds us all that the root of government authority lies in legitimized violence. He does not pull out the hoary libertarian line that, "we should not legislate morality," but rather simply reminds us that the morality which we legislate better prove worth killing for, even going to war over. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Forgetting that leads to the deepest incivilities of democracy. The most crucial civility for a democracy remains civility toward your o

Must reading for today's generation!!

Stephen Carter nails it big with this revealing expose on decline of morals and ethics in our society. I especially liked his analogies [e.g. the 3 legged stool,welcoming the stranger, etc.]. The author's style is very fluid, yet I would not call this an easy read. What Mr. Carter has to say is very critical for this generation and he makes an compelling point about what we have lost as nation as we have moved from fellow passenger to "looking our for #1". This message should be trumpeted in every educational institution across this land.