<div dir="ltr"><div><div style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif;font-size:small" class="gmail_default">
<span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><b>The Institute for Ethics in Public
Life invites you to join us for "Are we doing civility wrong?" On
Wednesday, April 1, at 3:30pm in-person and on Zoom.</b><br> <br></span></span><div style="margin-left:40px"><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>As an <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-campus-civility-collapse&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1775053349604923&usg=AOvVaw3OYhviVYjEnRSI9DUC6nqn" target="_blank">essay in the Chronicle of Higher Education</a>
notes, colleges and universities, particularly public ones, are finding
it difficult to navigate the tension between their commitment to
diversity and their commitment to free speech. A diverse student body
will inevitably include diverse perspectives on many issues, and
expressing some of those perspectives will provoke and offend other
students. In response to these conflicts we often see calls for
civility. But what does that mean, and is it really the right response
for a university?</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span> </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>The
essay defines "civility" as "an idea how people should act, especially
when they disagree." Civility standards are seen as critical for
mediating tensions within societies arising from the diversity of the
members of society (especially in their views about religious and
political subjects), the frequency of open disagreements about sensitive
subjects, and social cohesion. Homogeneous societies with little open
disagreement about sensitive subjects will find it easier to maintain
social cohesion (an important good), while heterogeneous societies with
substantial variation in perspectives on contentious subjects will need
strong civility standards to govern open disagreement if they want to
preserve social cohesion.</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span> </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>There are three basic sets of civility standards rooted in Enlightenment philosophy. The first is to<b> avoid open disagreement</b>.
This comes from Thomas Hobbes, who thought it was better to remain
silent or even lie about one's perspective rather than openly disagree
with a statement on religion or politics. It is OK to disagree, but keep
it private.</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span> </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>The
second comes from John Locke, who argued that open disagreement could
be safe if the participants engaged in discussion with "<b>civil charity</b>,"
from a perspective of general good-will and regard for all. If we loved
and respected others, we would not respond to disagreement with
contempt or condemnation, and this largely defuses the dangers of
disagreement.</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span> </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>The third is "<b>mere civility</b>"
- simple adherence to social courtesies during public interaction. This
standard, from Roger Williams, seeks to make coexistence possible even
between people who despise each other (over their religious or political
perspectives and values) by preserving "civil peace." Public
disagreement, even vehement disagreement, was OK as long as it was
polite. </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span> </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>The
author argues that universities have tended to try to follow Locke's
strategy and establish norms of civil charity and toleration, but
struggled to do so because it is hard to figure out what mutual respect
and inclusion entail in practice. Resulting vehement disagreements have
been followed by measures such as diversity training, speech codes, and
bias-response teams that impose the administration's perspective on the
university's values. Perspectives that differ from those are shut down,
in effect an imposition of Hobbes' solution. </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span> </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>The
author thinks that civil charity is only an option for institutions
with relatively homogeneous student bodies, whether religious (Brigham
Young) or political (Antioch). Instead, what she argues is that
universities that are committed to a diverse student body <b>and </b>the traditional mission of the university as seeking truth should adopt mere civility as the civic standard. </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span> </span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Please
join us in person in the Thomas Moran Seminar Room of the Institute for
Ethics in Public Life (Hawkins 233) or on Zoom (see below). </span></span></span> </span></span> </span></span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><span> </span></span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>Topic: Civility on campus</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>Time: Apr 1, 2026 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>Join Zoom Meeting</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span><a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/88133280992&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1775053349604923&usg=AOvVaw15sEf4haXVu69TwFYvqUvd" target="_blank">https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/88133280992</a></span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span></span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>Meeting ID: 881 3328 0992</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>---</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>One tap mobile</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>+16469313860,,88133280992# US</span></span><br><span class="gmail-kma42e"><span>+19294362866,,88133280992# US (New York)<span> </span></span></span>
</div>
</div><br clear="all"></div><br><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><b><font size="2">Daniel Lake</font></b></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">(pronouns: he/him/his)<br></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">Professor of Political Science</font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">Director, Institute for Ethics in Public Life<br></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">Hawkins 149A</font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">101 Broad Street</a></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2"><a href="https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Plattsburgh, NY 12901</a></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><font size="2">(o) <a href="tel:(518)%5645833" value="+15185642217" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">518-564-5833</a></font></p><p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:0px;line-height:normal;font-family:Arial"><b><font size="2"><a href="http://plattsburgh.edu/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">plattsburgh.edu</a></font></b><br></p></div><div dir="ltr"><img src="https://web.plattsburgh.edu/files/914/images/SUNY-Plattsburgh-Email-Logo-2018.jpg"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>