The Soul of Civility

September 25, 2023
Journalist Hudson debuts with an illuminating ode to civility as a “way of being that allows us to navigate life together amid differences.” According to the author, the human condition intertwines “two competing forces: our love of others, and our love of self,” and while selfishness threatens community, valuing others makes a civilization truly civilized. Moreover, “when too many of us fail to exercise civility, people will begin calling for the government to restrain us through laws and regulations.” Therefore, Hudson explains, “our freedom and flourishing” are reliant on “routine... decisions we make every day to respect our fellow humans,” be it as small as opening the door for someone holding a cup of coffee. Hudson mines a wide range of sources, from Socrates to the epic of Gilgamesh to explore civility’s nuances and then calls for its revival in modern society, including by “re-personaliz our digital interactions.” Delineating the vital distinction between politeness and civility (the latter is “the motivation behind our conduct that sees other persons as our moral equals” and “is much deeper, richer, and of greater import than... external compliance with rules of etiquette”), Hudson constructs a carefully considered case for the human obligation to “treat the ‘other’ with a similar decency we afford to those closest to us.” It’s an enlightening reexamination of an often-overlooked virtue.