Civility

In this episode of "In Our Time," Martha Clokie leads a discussion with John Gallagher, Phil Withington, and Teresa Bejan on the concept of civility. The conversation traces the historical evolution of civility from ancient Greece and Rome through the Reformation, touching on figures like Erasmus, Luther, and Hobbes, and explores its relationship to concepts like tolerance, social hierarchy, and civilization. The panel also examines how civility has been used both as a tool for social cohesion and as a means of exclusion and domination, particularly in the context of colonialism and slavery. The discussion extends to modern interpretations of civility, including its role in political discourse and the challenges of maintaining civility in polarized societies, with the panelists ultimately reflecting on the aspects of civility worth preserving and those that should be discarded in contemporary society.