Civility theory (overview)

Summary

1. Civility theory is based on a proven criterion: mutual respect, from which freedom and a sense of responsibility arise (civility).
2. Civility can exist to varying degrees: it can be absent (in a prevailing friend/enemy logic/war); it can be low (in a prevailing power logic/vertical domination); it can be open (in an unbounded prevailing logic of interests/horizontal coordination); it can be secured through two-dimensional coordination (with jointly recognized fair rules) or develop (in multi-dimensional coordination).
3. The higher the prevailing level of civility, the better the welfare opportunities for the respective community as a whole (general welfare function of civility).
4. Actors with fundamental civic values must confront situations with varying degrees of civility. How they can do this realistically and in a value-oriented manner is the subject of civic ethics.
5. Interaction processes of all kinds can be understood and verifiably analyzed from a civil theory perspective – thus making civil theory an analytical tool of particularly high empirical content.
6. This gives rise to the concepts of comparative civility analysis and civility history.
7. Civility theory has continuously evolved since its initial presentation (2018). Generally applicable concepts, typologies, and models are the content of the General Civility Theory (currently AZT 2026,2), while statements relating to specific areas of society such as law, state, politics, and the economy, as well as to specific forms of action such as public conduct or corruption, are the content of specific civility theories (currently BZT 2026).
8. Civility theory emerged from the integrated processing of traditional approaches, including rational choice theory, especially game theory, neoinstitutionalism, constructivism (framing approach), the work of Karl Popper, Norbert Elias, Johan Huizinga, and Paul Watzlawick, as well as more recent policy and governance analysis. However, it arrives at its own distinctive conclusions primarily through the differentiation between one- and multi-dimensional forms of interaction and through its ambition to produce universally verifiable quantitative statements about interactive thinking and action.
9. All current and selected past texts on civility theory can be accessed on the Civility gUG website (theory overview) with one click – see the buttons in the upper right corner. There are also videos on individual concepts and discussion forums.