Promoting Civil Society

Kirk J. Schneider and Sayyed Mohsen Fatemi suggest that a massive initiative to create mindfulness and dialogue is needed to preserve our security and freedoms. They commend the work of Better Angels, which offers structured dialogues between conservatives and liberals.

My own take is that much of today's incivility is a competitive "team" culture, where the individual is socially motivated to support their "gang" even to the point of supporting (even engaging in) repugnant behavior. In that case, a national draft which caused diverse individuals to work together may have more impact than an intellectual dialogue.

-DD

Social Media Can Poison Discourse

J. Robinson expresses concern that social media is dividing us into contending tribes.

-DD

Humility and Civility

Michael Patrick Lynch argues that humility, information literacy and basic epistemic fallacies should be taught in the university. Lynch is concerned that holders of divergent beliefs are becoming more arrogant and more un-civil. He sees some common web technology as a driver for this arrogance, as "the analytics that drive the internet don’t just get us more information; they get us more of the information we want" (para. 3). He observes that society needs to agree on a balance betweeen conviction and humility that allows diversity of belief.

-DD

Teaching Persona

Rachel Toor suggests that faculty should avoid sounding stilted when they present a lecture .

-DD

Sales With Civility

Preston Gralla comments on spectacular marketing flops resulting from picturing the audience using a gross sterotype. Pitch with respect.

-DD

Modeling Civility

David Gooblar suggest that professors model civility to their students.

-DD

Civility in the Air

Stephanie Rosenbloom wrote a New York Times article on air rage - losing one's temper while on an airplane voyage. She suggests that the crowded cabins and competition for stowage areas have erased the sense of community which once existed among travelers, leaving passengers feeling isolated and without control. She proposes that airline attendants engage in community-building announcements or activities to promote a cooperative spirit.

Some of the same techniques may be used by teachers to keep students civil during a long class session.

-DD

 

Civility In Discusions

Amy Cavendender visits the topic of creating "Civil and Productive Discussions ." This article expands on an earlier post on classroom discussions and modeling civility.

-DD