Book Recommendation

Over the weekend I read P.M. Forni's two books on Civility. They are book club selections for the Teaching and Learning Center I am in charge of (but not for much longer). They were chosen because teachers were interested, or concerned, about student incivility and many colleges are reading them. Not too many of our faculty are reading them, but I have to read all the selections to lead the discussions.

I learned a few things, and can say I'm not sorry I took the time to read the books. But they are the kind of book that will have an impact on you if you have an open mind. He's not heavy handed, actually he's rather winsome, although a little preachy at times. We can't remember all the rules, but we can remember the basic principles of attention, awareness, and respect, among others.

I am not sure why someone would want to follow his advice, though. His motivation is that if everyone did, society would be more, well, civilized. And there may be some truth to that. However, I think the motivation has to be much deeper, either from a sense of the glory of God or a sense of moral rectitude toward other people no matter what, or a recognition of the imago dei.

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