Civility theory.

overview


  1. Civility is mutual respect in shared responsibility
  2. Civility promotes the common good.
  3. Civility can be lacking, unsecured, secured, or thrive on security (levels of civility). Security thus becomes a central requirement of civility.
  4. Levels of civility arise and change directly through the relational logics in which participants think in relation to one another (logics of interest, power, and friend/enemy, or logic of mutual commitment), as well as through their forms of interaction (war, domination, negotiation, fair trials, integration). They are indirectly influenced by objective complexes of conditions, such as forms and degrees of mutual dependence and capacities for action.
  5. Civility levels strengthen and stabilize their variables in context; in this respect, they develop their own persistence.
  6. Anyone who wants to act responsibly must seek to realistically analyze the given situation and the options available. Value-based politics thus operates not in an abstract moral sense, but in a situation-specific, rational manner.
  7. While basic concepts, typologies and models of civility are the content of the General Theory of Civility, the Special Theory of Civility deals with civility aspects of particular media (such as law, state, politics, economy, religion, science, games and sports) and particular challenges.

Development and accessibility


The theory of civility, presented in 2018 as the theory of civil modernity after decades of preparatory work, is constantly being further developed. It is a project of Civility gUG under the direction of Volker von Prittwitz. It is freely accessible en bloc via the following buttons.

General Theory of Civility (current) Special Theory of Civility (current) Theory of Civil Modernity 2018 Civility Theory 2023


If you'd like to delve deeper into individual chapters or topics of civility theory, you might find something interesting by clicking on the buttons below (under development).

Philosophy of Science: Why Theory?

Your own contribution?


Would you like to send us your own contribution or commentary on the theory of civility?

Gladly (please contact us via info@civility.berlin). We will respond promptly.


Victoria V. Lauritsen



The aggressive victim role

Actors sometimes try to aggressively assert their power claims in a victim role.