Civil discourse is engagement in discourse

Discourse

Discourse generally refers to "written or spoken communication". The following are three more specific definitions:...

 (conversation) intended to enhance understanding.

Kenneth J. Gergen

Kenneth J. Gergen

Kenneth J. Gergen is an American psychologist and professor at Swarthmore College. He obtained his B.A. at Yale University in 1957 and his Ph.D. at Duke University in 1962.-Biography:...

 describes civil discourse as "the language of dispassionate objectivity", and suggests that it requires respect of the other participants, such as the reader. It neither diminishes the other's moral worth, nor questions their good judgment; it avoids hostility, direct antagonism, or excessive persuasion; it requires modesty and an appreciation for the other participant's experiences.

In Book III of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

First appearing in 1690 with the printed title An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke concerns the foundation of human knowledge and understanding. He describes the mind at birth as a blank slate filled later through experience...

(1690), John Locke

John Locke

John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...

 contrasts between civil and philosophical discourse (or rhetorical discourse) with the former being for the benefit of the reader, and the public good

Public good

In economics, a public good is a good that is non-rival and non-excludable. Non-rivalry means that consumption of the good by one individual does not reduce availability of the good for consumption by others; and non-excludability means that no one can be effectively excluded from using the good...

:

See also

• Rhetoric
  Rhetoric
  Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
  
  
• Civic virtue
  Civic virtue
  Civic virtue is the cultivation of habits of personal living that are claimed to be important for the success of the community. The identification of the character traits that constitute civic virtue have been a major concern of political philosophy...
  
  
• Etiquette
  Etiquette
  Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
  
  
• Discourse community
  Discourse community
  The term discourse community links the terms discourse, a concept describing all forms of communication that contribute to a particular, instructionalized way of thinking; and community, which in this case refers to the people who use, and therefore help create, a particular discourse.Some examples...
  
  
• Self-censorship
  Self-censorship
  Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own work , out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities of others, without overt pressure from any specific party or institution of authority...
  
  
• Speech code
  Speech code
  A speech code is any rule or regulation that limits, restricts, or bans speech beyond the strict legal limitations upon freedom of speech or press found in the legal definitions of harassment, slander, libel, and fighting words. Such codes are common in the workplace, in universities, and in...
  
  
• Citizens for Civil Discourse
  Citizens for Civil Discourse
  Citizens for Civil Discourse, also known as CCD, is an American non-profit, non-partisan organization that accepts Robocall block requests from citizens via their website...
  
  

External links

• Dogmatism Versus Civil Discourse (2005), The Open Mind
  The Open Mind (talk show)
  The Open Mind is a long-running half-hour public affairs interview show. First broadcast in May 1956 over WRCA television in New York City, it currently originates from the studios of the CUNY Graduate Center and airs on public broadcasting stations nationwide...
  
  talk show with John Sexton
  John Sexton
  John Edward Sexton is the fifteenth President of New York University, having held this position since May 17, 2002, and the Benjamin Butler Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law. From 1988 to 2002, he served as Dean of the NYU School of Law, which during his deanship became one...
  
  (video)