Civility As A Moral Issue - 1537 Words

34-129-01 (2014 Fall) | Callum McGill | Civility As A Moral Issue | Page 1 The idea of civility being a moral issue is a centuries old discussion. In our readings, we look at various works from the famous philosopher, who is Aristotle, as well as the theories and research by Twenge and Campbell. Aristotle discusses, in detail, the complexities of moral character, and Twenge and Campbell examine narcissism and what it is to be a narcissist. Civility, which is defined as, â€Å"acting in a cooperative way that supports the integrity and flourishing of the community for the sake of which morality exists† (Letteri, 2014), is a moral issue. A moral issue, in comparison, is defined as â€Å"an issue that involves a difference of belief and is not a†¦show more content†¦This is a very important moral issue because since children are being taught at a young age to act narcissistic, they don’t 34-129-01 (2014 Fall) | Callum McGill | Civility As A Moral Issue | Page 2 know that it is wrong. These generations truly believe that incivility is acceptable, because that is what they’ve been taught to believe. Twenge and Campbell write, â€Å"Every culture is shaped by its fundamental beliefs, and in America today there are few values more fiercely held than the importance of self-admiration. Most of us don’t tattoo our bodies, but it is tattooed onto the flesh of our body of cultural beliefs† (Twenge, and Campbell, 14). The tattoo analogy used is incredibly significant because of what the authors are trying to say. Not only does this signify the permanence of this narcissistic epidemic, shown through the permanence of a tattoo, but also through the fact that everyone is involved in this problem; not everyone gets tattoos, but self-admiration is tattooed into the fundamental beliefs of everyone in society, whether they like it or not. The permanence of this i ncivility is a very possible reality, because through the teaching of narcissistic traits at a young age, this changes an individual’s habits, which are difficult to break. The philosopher, who is Aristotle, writes, Thus, in one word, states of character arise out of like activities. This is why the activities we exhibit