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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Preachy - but then again, is that a bad thing?, July 22, 2003
I must confess that when I see books like this, I have a tendency to cringe. Most books on civility are 'how to' manuals written by self-styled morally superior curmugeons who want us all to live as they do. Then again, I though to myself while in the bookstore debating on what to procure, isn't it about time that someone writes an honest, frank book about how to be civil, particularly in the civil arena? After all, democratic politics thrives when discussion, self-government, and liberty without license are at high levels and in case anyone has cared to notice, all are at levels approching an all time low. So I bought it and my judgement was correct. Professor Carter is not on a high horse, he does not condescend and his comments and observations are astute and viable. (although as an atheist, I felt he gave me no option besides "be a moral christian" or "be uncivil"). The book - broken into three parts - can get repetitive, particularly on part II. The first part, on what civility is, defends Professor Carter's notion of civility against all comers: Sociologists who think uncivility spurs pluralistic politics, psychologists who think it is a good way to air frustration, and philosophers who think civility is just plain opression without the name. The second part identifies different ways that we are uncivil to eachother. Carter argues that uncivility is generally a result of how easy it has become not to interact with eachother, hence, not spend time identifying eachother as "people, same as us". Instead of writing letters, we use the internet; instead of taking mass transportation like trains, we drive to work alone in our automobile; instead of joining clubs, we watch characters on TV join them. This is where Carter gets preachy. One hears him subtley thinking, "Ahhh. The glory days; let's go back, shall we?" The third part is the easiest to skip. It is about how to regain civility. We all know how, of course, but generally try to forget that we do. Teach kids 'right' and 'wrong'; set good examples; think about others, sometimes, in lieu of ourselves. These are not hard rules, just common sense ones we've convinced ourselves to be oppresive ones. While this section merely points out the obvious, it is the obvious that we've been overlooking and need to be reminded of. There are particularly great chapters here. A few chapters are on the art of listening to others views sympathetically, instead of listening so as to construct an immediate retort. Two consecutive chapters are on the rule: "liberty is not licesncse". Just because we have free speech, does not mean we need to, or should, be offensive just because. Another stellar chapter is on the civility of making moral judgements. Too many people are telling us that judging is wrong (which of course, is itself a moral judgement). In reality, moral judgement is necessary to maintain civility, to remind yourself what and what not to do by example, and to let others know that you either approve or disapprove of their actions, which is as powerful as any legislation. All in all, this was a good, well-thought, succinct and enjoyable book. Occasioinal preachiness and repetitiveness aside, it is one that (as one reviewer noted) should be read in high school, college, and as a pre-requisite to public office. Of course, don't tell the PC police!
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