In Search of Civility
Location
Beaman A&B
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
25-9-2012 7:00 PM
Description
The concept of civility manages to be both one of timeless antiquity and modern relevance. As far back as the ancient Greeks, the warriors of Homer’s Iliad were passionately focused on their ability to live up to the standards of their society by avoiding “ate”—a word often translated as sin, but more accurately denoting a failure to fulfill one’s moral and social role. Jesus’s Beatitudes focused on behaviors and attitudes that made for a peaceful, harmonious society. The Tao teaches its followers to live peaceful lives that ensure harmonious relationships with nature, with individuals, and with the Cosmos. Cultures from the West, Mid-East and East all echo this refrain: in order to have a functioning human society, members have to share some basic sense of what behavior towards others is acceptable and what is not. Fast forward thousands of years, and note that matters haven’t changed. While conventions have changed along with living conditions and technology, calls for behaviors consistent with a baseline norm of civility still fill the air. Dr. Kent M. Weeks, author of the book In Search of Civility: Confronting Incivility on the College Campus explores the topic of civility and its application to living, learning, and leading in an academic community.
Recommended Citation
Weeks, Kent M., "In Search of Civility" (2012). Humanities Symposium. 22.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2012/2012/22
In Search of Civility
Beaman A&B
The concept of civility manages to be both one of timeless antiquity and modern relevance. As far back as the ancient Greeks, the warriors of Homer’s Iliad were passionately focused on their ability to live up to the standards of their society by avoiding “ate”—a word often translated as sin, but more accurately denoting a failure to fulfill one’s moral and social role. Jesus’s Beatitudes focused on behaviors and attitudes that made for a peaceful, harmonious society. The Tao teaches its followers to live peaceful lives that ensure harmonious relationships with nature, with individuals, and with the Cosmos. Cultures from the West, Mid-East and East all echo this refrain: in order to have a functioning human society, members have to share some basic sense of what behavior towards others is acceptable and what is not. Fast forward thousands of years, and note that matters haven’t changed. While conventions have changed along with living conditions and technology, calls for behaviors consistent with a baseline norm of civility still fill the air. Dr. Kent M. Weeks, author of the book In Search of Civility: Confronting Incivility on the College Campus explores the topic of civility and its application to living, learning, and leading in an academic community.
Comments
Convo: AL