Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy - Hardcover

"Carter not only defends the legitimacy of religious argument but provides an impressive example of how a believer may engage in civil debate with fellow citizens who do not share his faith. . . . Stephen L. Carter [is] one of America's leading public intellectuals."-- "New York Times Book Review""Part theology, part ethics, part political science. . . . A thoughtful and provocative book."-- "Publishers Weekly""Carter's passionate plea for the 'we' over the 'me' is most welcome and constructive. . . . Such honesty is rare from an American scholar today."-- "Chicago Tribune""Civility, Stephen Carter reminds us, matters. Its foundations is in the heart and in our love and respect for our fellow human beings. Our institutions, culture, communities, and country cannot long survive the loss of this basic and essential ingredient of civilization. Nor can any of us." -- Marian Wright Edelman, president, Children's Defense Fund"Perceptive, insightful, erudite, timely, and yet profound--books just do not come any better." -- Amitai Etzioni, author of "The New Golden Rule""Stephen Carter has become one of the most provocative analysts of American life since de Tocqueville, and one of the easiest to read." Civility" will raise hackles, but always with civility. It's the rare writer who makes you like him even when you disagree. Stephen Carter is a rare writer." -- John Cardinal O'Connor, archbishop of New York

Carter considers the nature of civility and incivility, examining how it is reflected in and reinforced by our language and culture, explaining the role of the family and religion, and concluding with a summary of the basic rules of civility. The book draws on examples ranging from Internet virus infectors to the Christmas creche in the town square. In this followup to Integrity, Yale law professor Stephen Carter continues to meditate upon the prepolitical qualities on which a healthy society is based. Why do people show poorer manners today than in previous ages? How did we come to confuse rudeness with self-expression and acting on our rights? Carter looks at these and other important questions with a combination of his personal experiences and an extremely long shelf of reading material, all the while maintaining an informal writing style that continuallybut politelyengages the reader, inviting him or her to think about these issues along with Carter. There are important messages here about generosity and trust, about respecting diversity and dissent, and about resolving conflict through dialogue rather than mandate.

Stephen Carter would never be so uncivil as to demand your attention, but Civility most definitely compels.