Civility and Its Discontents Civic Virtue, Toleration, and Cultural Fragmentation Edited by Christine T. Sistare June 2004 320 pages, 6 x 9 An AMINTAPHIL volume Cloth ISBN 978-0-7006-1313-7, $39.95 Paper ISBN 978-0-7006-1314-4, $19.95 Commentators in popular media and professional publications alike have decried the extent to which civility, civic virtue, tolerance, and socio-cultural unity have declined in modern liberal societies. In this volume, contributors from philosophy and political science discuss this dilemma while exploring the nature of civil society, the conflict between individual liberty and the common good, and the role of law and government policy in weaving the threads of the social fabric. Here are provocative insights from such distinguished voices as Joan McGregor, Patricia Smith, and Wade Robison, integrating many of the key issues in contemporary political and legal philosophy while representing viewpoints ranging from Rawlsian liberalism to communitarianism, libertarianism to republicanism. All of the contributors share a dedication to fundamental liberal values and advocate respect for others, but they pointedly disagree on the practical implications of such beliefs for political and legal policy. While not unconcerned with private morality, these essays primarily address public issues--largely in an American context--including economic, legal, and political policies. They focus on the constituent elements of civility and civic virtue, problems surrounding civil rights and the promotion of tolerance, appropriate social and legal responses to increasing social fragmentation, and applied issues such as hate crimes, speech codes, and “bad Samaritan” laws. Civility and Its Discontents is a lively collection in which readers will find stimulating debate over the requirements of good citizenship, the demarcation between public and private, and the accurate characterization of liberal democratic ideals and realities. It transcends current mass appeals to patriotism and civic responsibility by asking what it is to live in a truly civil society, forming a timely and accessible collection for students--and provocative reading for all interested in our collective future. “An extremely impressive volume integrated around issues at the core of many, if not most, debates in contemporary Anglo-American political and legal philosophy. It will undoubtedly be useful to scholars, teachers, and students working in philosophy, law, and political science.”--David Ingram, author of Group Rights: Reconciling Equality and Difference “The discussions taken up by the contributors to this volume reach to the nature of civil society, the character of democracy, the relationship between the demands of individual liberty and those of the common good, and the role of law and government policy in weaving the fabric of a social whole.”--from the Preface CHRISTINE T. SISTARE is associate professor of philosophy at Muhlenberg College, where she was founding director of the Muhlenberg Center of Ethics. Her previous books include Groups and Group Rights, also published by Kansas, and Responsibility and Criminal Liability. CONTRIBUTORS: Erik Anderson, Joseph Ellin, Norman Fischer, Emily Gill, Christopher Gray, Heidi Malm, Lester Mazor, Joan McGregor, Thomas Peard, David Reidy, Wade Robison, Jonathan Schonsheck, Mortimer Sellers, Christine Sistare, Patricia Smith Home | About the Press | Recent Awards | Contact Us | Order New Books: | By Author | By Subject | By Title | By Series Books in Print: | By Author | By Subject | By Title | By Series ©2007 University Press of Kansas 2502 Westbrooke Circle, Lawrence, KS 66045-4444 Phone (785) 864-4155; Fax (785) 864-4586