“Is Civility Always Good?”

In today’s tempestuous times commentators bemoan the apparent loss of civility in social discourse. On TV, radio and on-line, sometimes it seems that people are competing to be rude. Discussion of “hot button issues,” like politics, religion, and the #MeToo movement, often provoke mean-spirited shouting matches. Can we revive our respect for basic civility? Should we? Does speaking out aggressively, regardless of how it effects others, have an important role in revealing truth? Hugh Taft-Morales explores “civility” and the ways Ethical Humanists can best embrace it as a virtue.

Hugh Taft-Morales joined the Baltimore Ethical Society as its professional leader in 2010, the same year he was certified by the American Ethical Union as an Ethical Culture Leader. He also serves as Leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia. His presence in Ethical Culture has been termed “invigorating.” Taft-Morales lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with his wife Maureen, a Latin American Analyst with the Congressional Research Service, with whom he has three beloved children, Sean, Maya, and Justin.