Can Citizens Be Friends?

Civic Enmity and the Possibility of Civic Friendship in our Hyper-Polarized Society

How much divisiveness, anger, contempt, distrust, and fear can democratic citizens have for one another before a democratic society irreparably weakens? Political philosophers since Aristotle have wondered about what citizens owe one another; whether they ought to recognize and respect one another’s views, profound disagreements notwithstanding. The ideal of mutual respect among democratic citizens as a foundation for a thriving civil society is called “civic friendship.” Join us as we explore this idea and its potential for diminishing the “civic enmity” that afflicts the US today.

Organized by Alan Mittleman and Shira Billet

Sponsored by the JTS Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice and generously supported by the Fetzer Institute

Read an article about “civic friendship” written by our panelist Jason Scorza for the International Encyclopedia of Ethics.

PANELISTS

Molly Farneth, Associate Professor of Religion, Haverford College

Jason Scorza, Professor of Philosophy and Political Science, Fairleigh Dickinson University

Robert Talisse, Professor of Philosophy and Political Science, Vanderbilt University

Moderator: Arnold Eisen, Chancellor Emeri