This is a collection of essays drawn from more than 50 years of writing by Univ. of Chicago sociologist Edward Shils. Shils was a conservative thinker - in the traditional meaning of the term conservative. He viewed civility as a constraint on divisive individual beliefs and irresponsible representations of self interest. While written at the level of a treatise for graduate level theoreticians, much of the work is enjoyable reading. Some of the essays are dated, but even those have their practical insights, one quoting a wise politician that, "the survival of a parliamentary system requires the constant dining with the opposition." The 1995 essay on nationalism makes the case that erosion of the fabric of the national society will erode civil society as well. The 1989 essay on The Modern University covers some of the same ground as his 1979 Jefferson Lecture by analyzing the reciprocal rights and duties between a democratic government, a society and its universities. The summarizing final essay underscores that civility in public discourse is a mode of political action based on collective self consciousness. It is heart-warming to read the words of a learned man who had firmly held beliefs make a strong case for civility. If more people who have strong views about political issues would read these essays, they might learn to channel their advocacy with a larger dose of civility.
