More Beauty, Goodness and Truth?

There’s certainly no shortage of people to blame long distance for the tragically divisive state of our civic life in America. But if the project of human community ultimately begins where we act with respect and decency toward our fellow man, it’s possible that more of the power and responsibility for our societal fractures may be located right where we live our lives.  Yet it’s easy to confuse plain old niceness with the deepest underpinnings of respect necessary to shepherd us through our divided times.

While our special guest Alexandra O. Hudson, author of “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” finds the challenges to civility today dire, she thinks they’re not new — and they’re most definitely not about being more polite. Lexi brings a deep and fresh appreciation for the wisdom of the ages to the moment we’re in, froJoin us for this inspiringly heartfelt and beautifully pitched argument that civility is not a luxury: it’s necessary for the survival and flourishing of our species.m Socrates and Confucius to more contemporary thinkers such as Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Henry David Thoreau. She joins forces with these heavyweights, along with a practically encyclopedic knowledge of our understanding of civility through the ages. We hope you’ll join us for this inspiringly heartfelt and beautifully pitched argument that civility is not a luxury: it’s necessary for the survival and flourishing of our species. Learn more about Lexi, at https://alexandraohudson.com/

Pick up a copy of her book at Midtown Reader at https://www.midtownreader.com/book/9781250277787

This program is presented live via Zoom and Facebook Live and made possible by Florida Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. We’re delighted to welcome streaming partners Braver Angels, McCourtney Institute for Democracy, National Institute for Civil Discourse, BridgeUSA, Listen First Project, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future,  Common Ground Committee, Civic Health Project, TP&R podcast, YOUnify, Citizen Connect, Center for the Humanities at University of Miami, Tallahassee Democrat, WFSU Public Media, and Network for Responsible Public Policy.

Learn more about the program online at  https://tlh.villagesquare.us/event/soul-of-civility/

This program is part of the UNUM: Democracy Reignited series in partnership with Florida Humanities, which explores the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests in our lives.