Civility has been a perennial concern of philosophers. Philosophers have disagreed, however, on what civility is, how important it is, and how norms of civility change. The relationship between civility and democracy has also been contested – some philosophers have argued that civility is an essential component of democracy while others have argued that calls for civility can reinforce antidemocratic tendencies. This brief summarizes noteworthy modern philosophical arguments about the role of civility in political and social life.
