Alexandra Hudson on the Soul of Civility

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Library of Economics and Liberty

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4.7 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2023

⏱️ 65 minutes

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Summary

When Alexandra Hudson arrived in Washington, DC, she discovered that outward behavior is not always a reflection of a person's character. Her disillusionment led to an in-depth exploration of the historical concept and practice of civility, along with a newfound appreciation for not only empathy, but also debate and disagreement in a healthy society. Listen as she and EconTalk's Russ Roberts discuss her book The Soul of Civility, a call for less superficial politeness and more genuine respect for and consideration toward others in the social, cultural, and political spheres. They also discuss the power of social norms and how they can promote human flourishing.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Econ Talk, Conversations for the Curious, part of the Library of Economics
0:07.0	and Liberty.
0:08.0	I'm your host, Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford University's Hoover
0:13.0	Institution.
0:14.0	Go to econtalk.org where you can subscribe, comment on this episode and find links down
0:18.6	the information related to today's conversation.
0:21.6	You'll also find our archives with every episode we've done going back to 2006.
0:26.8	Our email address is mail at econtalk.org, we'd love to hear from you.
0:37.8	Today is September 14, 2023 and my guest is author Alexandra Hudson.
0:43.6	Her substack is Civic Renaissance and she is the author of The Soul of Civility, Timel's
0:50.0	Principles to Hill Society and Ourselves, which is her topic today.
0:55.0	Alexandra, welcome to econtalk.
0:57.0	Thanks, Russ.
0:58.0	Big fan.
0:59.0	Glad to be with you.
1:00.0	Thank you.
1:01.0	We're going to start with how your book opens, which is contrasting civility with politeness.
1:07.9	Most people use them interchangeably, but you throughout the book are eager and I think
1:14.5	correct to point out that they're not the same thing.
1:17.7	So what's the difference and why does it matter?
1:21.7	I was raised in a home that was very sensitive and mindful of social norms.
1:26.9	My mother, she's called Judy, The Manor's Lady, and I learned through writing this book
	...

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