Opening Notes on Civil Discourse

My present notions of civil discourse include the following:

Civil discourse is talk for public and individual good. It is a respectful way of talking among equals. It is a way of talking in which the worth and judgment of the participants is a given. It requires personal modesty and an appreciation for the experience of the other participants.

Civil discourse is engagement in conversation intended to enhance understanding, It is a way to enjoy productive talk about facts, evidence, observations, and interpretations in a tolerant and courteous way.

I discussed many techniques and methods of dialogue in my Magic Table blog which are highly useful i civil discourse. A principle purpose of 'dialogue' as described in those Magic Table posts was to bring the individuals in groups of various sizes to share common meanings. That dialogue was meant to bring individuals closer to common understanding. One might consider that dialogue as an important subgroup of civil discourse.

Consider:
Who is interested in learning techniques of dialogue?
What are the more useful techniques of dialogue?
Of what use may knowledge of civil discourse be in these days?
Is there a set of categories which support civil discourse and rational inquiry?

Wronged

We are confronted with wrongs and injustices. We may choose not to tolerate one of them.
What can we do? What ought we do?
What we decide and determine is important.

Here, I plan to begin to lay out one large set of options. That set is called "Nonviolent Action." Nonviolent action is a powerfully effective way for dealing with wrongs and injustices.

As you may remember, nonviolent action is an active technique for applying power to a conflict, without the use of physical violence.

You have the power.

Nonviolent Action is not passive. It is action that is nonviolent. It can involve acts of omission, commission, or a combination of the two. You and I could probably identify more that 100 specific methods of action or 'nonviolent weapons' right now. There are more. An individual may use many of them. Others are better used by groups.

Before getting deeply into nonviolent action, it is wise to more clearly identify the wrong you wish to right. The better you understand the nature of the wrong, the better your chances of righting without painful complications.

Looking at areas of nonviolent alternatives broadly, you may refuse to acts that you usually perform, or are required by law to perform. You may perform acts that you do not usually perform, are not expected by custom to perform, or are forbidden to perform. Sounds a bit like home. The idea is that you have a wide variety of choices available.

By the way, this information is available from The Albert Einstein Institution: www.aeistein.org 

Nonviolent methods may be sorted into three classes: nonviolent protest and persuasion, noncooperation, and nonviolent intervention.

Start clarifying an injustice and I'll prepare to post more on the topic.