‘Philosophy in the Bookshop’ is our free monthly event that takes place on the first Saturday of the month and features Nigel Warburton interviewing a different author around their specialist subject. This month, Nigel will be in conversation with Teresa Bejan on ‘Mere Civility’.
Mere Civility sheds light on our predicament and the impasse between “civilitarians” and their opponents by examining early modern debates about religious toleration. As concerns about uncivil disagreement achieved new prominence after the Reformation, seventeenth-century figures as different as Roger Williams, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke could agree that some restraint on the war of words would be necessary. But they recognized that the prosecution of incivility was often difficult to distinguish from persecution. In their efforts to reconcile diversity with disagreement, they developed competing conceptions of civility as the social bond of tolerant societies that still resonate.
This talk is free to attend and takes place in the Philosophy Department within the Norrington Room. Please note that there is limited access to the space where the talk takes place. Please call 01865 333623 if you need any assistance.