The Soul of Civility

Let's Find Common Ground

USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future

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5 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 21 November 2023

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The state of public discourse is often dire and includes insults and threats. We assume the worst of the other side and are not afraid to call them out publicly, especially online. Our guest on today’s show says this behavior isn’t just rude. It’s uncivil. And that civility - not politeness - makes a real difference in how we think about ourselves and treat each other. Our guest, Alexandra Hudson, is the author of the new book The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves. She grew up in a family where manners mattered. When she went to work for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in the Trump administration, she thought good manners would help her navigate a hostile work environment. But she failed to thrive, despite putting politeness and friendliness into overdrive. She left politics deflated. Still, her experience got her thinking about true civility and how it can help us find common ground. As the holiday season begins, we explore the difference between civility and politeness, how loneliness and isolation contribute to an uncivil society, and the important part hospitality plays in being genuinely civil.

Transcript

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0:00.0	All too often, the state of our public discourse is dire, and that includes public insults
0:07.4	and threats.
0:08.6	We often assume the worst of each other and call people out publicly, especially online.
0:15.8	Our guest on today's show says this behaviour isn't just rude, it's uncivil, and that
0:21.1	civility, not politeness, makes a real difference in how we think about ourselves and treat
0:27.1	each other.
0:28.6	That human dignity, that high view of humanity and the human person, that is my moral foundation
0:33.6	for civility, this mode, that actually respects others, enough to tell hard truths, to break
0:38.9	rules, to be impolite.
0:56.7	This is Let's Find Common Ground, I'm Ashley Meltaite.
1:01.0	I'm Richard Davies, Alexandra, or Lexi Hudson, grew up in a family where manners mattered.
1:08.8	And when she went to work for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration,
1:13.8	she thought that good manners would help her navigate a sometimes hostile work environment.
1:20.2	But it didn't work out that way.
1:22.3	Our experience got her thinking about what true civility is and how it can help us
1:27.0	find common ground.
1:29.0	She's the author of the book The Soul of Civility, timeless principles to heal society and ourselves.
1:36.8	Richard kicked off our interview.
1:39.6	Most of us don't think much about the difference between politeness and civility, but you certainly
1:47.0	have thought a lot about that.
1:49.7	You say civility goes much deeper than mere politeness, discuss the difference, and why
1:55.4	it's not just a matter of simple manners.
	...

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