lystn

When they go low, we go...where? "We need more civility" in our political discourse is a frequent complaint lodged by politicians on all sides. Teresa Bejan, who teaches political theory at Oxford University, traces the history of civility from early modern English and American thought, especially in John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Roger Williams, the founder of the American colony that would become today's Rhode Island who is remembered mostly for advocating for the separation of church and state, and religious toleration. She explains what "mere civility" means, and how it can be the common ground for arguments over things that usually divide people, including free speech.