Teresa Bejan: Is civility a sham?
テレサ・べジャン: 「シビリティ(礼節・民度)」なんてインチキ?
Teresa Bejan writes about political theory, bringing historical perspectives to bear on contemporary questions. Full bio
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思慮判断の上ご覧ください
a book about civility,
保つことについての本を書きました
American presidential election,
アメリカ大統領選挙のころだったので
to come and talk about civility
特に必要であるかについて
in American politics.
依頼が沢山舞い込みました
that book about civility
that civility is ...
それはインチキだと
like a highly uncivil thing to say,
聞こえるかもしれませんが
of civility and religious tolerance
宗教的寛容の歴史を
that there is a virtue of civility,
あることに気づいたからです
it's actually absolutely essential,
多様性に寛容な社会には絶対欠かせません
多様な意見が存在する社会―
that promise not only to protect diversity
多様性から生じる 意見の不一致や
even hateful disagreements
for "unpleasant."
Thomas Hobbes pointed out
of disagreement is offensive.
それだけで人の感情を害するからです
It works like this:
例えば—
私が正しい」と主張したとします
that you are so very, very wrong?
証明できるでしょうか
come to a different conclusion
別の結論に達したのではないでしょうか?
you must be stupid,
あるいはバカ
そうでしょう?
of your disagreeing with me
to my views, but to my intelligence, too.
when the disagreements at stake
世界観や自己認識など
consider to be fundamental,
or to our identities.
わかりますよね
of popular culture, at the dinner table,
really, seriously disagree about,
their opponents in the controversy.
自分を確認します
those fundamental disagreements
that tolerant societies
多様性に寛容な社会が受け入れようと
propose to tolerate,
historically, at least,
the happy-clappy communities of difference
それほど能天気な社会ではないことを
where people have to hold their noses
互いに軽蔑し合いながらも
despite their mutual contempt.
どうにかやっているといったところです
from studying religious tolerance
宗教的寛容性を研究して
that the virtue that makes
共存することを可能にするのは
if you will, possible,
美徳であると
our disagreements tolerable
意見の不一致を耐えうるものにするので
even if we don't share a faith --
互いに意見が折り合わなくても
かなり多くの人々がシビリティについて
talk about civility today --
about civility a lot --
possible to tolerate disagreement
対話できるように
engage with our opponents,
a strategy of disengagement.
to take your ball and go home
脅すようなものです
the sin of our opponents.
悪いのは常に相手側なのです
sudden-onset amnesia,
as an appropriate response
who is set out to destroy
否定しようとする人間に対して
that most of today's big civility talkers
殆どのシビリティ論を説く人々に
civility actually entails.
is simply a synonym for respect,
「尊重」、「良いマナー」
言われますが
that to accuse someone of incivility
人を非難することは
than calling them impolite,
はるかにひどいことです
is to be potentially intolerable
単に無礼という場合とは違う次元で
to accuse them of incivility,
that they are somehow beyond the pale,
「あなたは私の許容範囲を超えていて
engaging with at all.
言っていることになります
that makes fundamental disagreement
その美点は根本的な意見の不一致を
sometimes occasionally productive.
実りのあるものにさえするからです
really, really difficult.
これはとても難しいことでもあります
complete bullshit,
お話ししているので
about civility.
have been warning us for decades now
is facing a crisis of civility,
シビリティを失いかけてます
on technological developments,
talk radio, social media.
ソーシャルメディアの影響だと言われます
of disagreement,
などというものは存在しません
that the first modern crisis of civility
最初のシビリティの危機が始まったのは
named Martin Luther
in communications technology,
the Protestant Reformation.
as the Twitter of the 16th century,
16世紀のツイッターだと考えてください
元祖「荒らし」でした
i.e. Catholic, opponents.
clutched their pearls
ビックリ仰天して
they gave as good as they got
(異議を唱える者)という
as an insult.
civility talk, then as now,
your opponent for going low,
of the moral high ground
主張することで
堕ちてしまうことです
sets up the speaker
while implicitly, subtly stigmatizing
暗に異議を持つ「厚かましい」者を
to disagree as uncivil.
becomes a really effective way
国教会のメンバーにとっては
outside of the established church,
彼らを弾圧し排除する方法として
against the status quo.
could lecture atheists
諭すかもしれません
of shaking hands.
pretexts for persecution.
protesters in the 20th century.
公民権運動を抑え込むのに使われました
why partisans on both sides of the aisle
特定の相手や意見が
frankly, antiquated,
伝えたいと同時に
that certain people and certain views
振りかざしてしまう
themselves the trouble
tend to roll our eyes
軽率な「美徳」のトピックが始まると
conversational virtue begin,
our social and political divisions,
社会的政治的な溝を
is actually making the problem worse.
事態を悪化させている気がするからです
of actually speaking to each other,
議論を交わす面倒を避け
past each other or at each other
シグナルを出しつつ
相手の発言を無視して意見を語り
which side we're on.
自分の立場を示すことなのです
one might be forgiven, as I did,
ナンセンスなのだから
so much civility talk is bullshit,
ナンセンスなはずだと思ったとしても
must be bullshit, too.
historical perspective goes a long way.
early modern crisis of civility
to protect disagreement
was the virtue of civility.
for us to share a life,
that is perhaps less aspirational
今日シビリティについて説く人々が
who talk about civility a lot today
"mere civility."
「最低限シビリティ」と呼びます
that allows us to get through
of the other party.
is to meet a low bar grudgingly,
最低限のマナーを守ることです
that's meant to help us disagree,
助ける美徳だからです
all those centuries ago,
for a reason.
理由があります
what exactly is civility or mere civility?
「最低限シビリティ」とは何でしょうか
as being respectful or polite,
同義ではありません
when we're dealing with those people
尊敬するのが難しいか不可能な人と
or maybe even impossible, to respect.
必要になるからです
can't be the same as being nice,
同義ではありません
people what you really think about them
本当はどう思っているかとか
面と向かって言わないからです
自分の本心を伝えることです
means not pulling our punches,
「言葉を和らげて伝える」ことではありません
not landing all those punches all at once,
反対意見を述べることと言えるかもしれません
to disagree fundamentally,
持っていても
the possibility of a common life tomorrow
共存する可能性を否定したり潰したりせず
are standing in our way today.
civility is actually closely related
「勇気」というもう一つの美徳に
to make yourself disagreeable,
賛同しない勇気を持ち
同じ場所に留まり
それができるということです
calling bullshit on people's civility talk
「ナンセンス!」と言うのは
from studying the long history
in the 17th century, it's this:
こういうことです
as a way to avoid an argument,
論争を避ける手段として使っていたり
in the more agreeable company
賛成してくれる人々とだけ
who already agree with you,
never actually speaking to anyone
disagrees with you,
気づいたとしたら
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Teresa Bejan - Political theorist, authorTeresa Bejan writes about political theory, bringing historical perspectives to bear on contemporary questions.
Why you should listen
Teresa Bejan is Associate Professor of Political Theory and Fellow of Oriel College at the University of Oxford. She received her PhD with distinction from Yale in 2013 and was awarded the American Political Science Association's 2015 Leo Strauss Award for the best dissertation in political philosophy. In 2016 she was elected as the final Balzan-Skinner Fellow in Modern Intellectual History at Cambridge. Her inaugural lecture, "Acknowledging Equality," can be viewed here. Bejan publishes regularly in popular and scholarly venues and has taught at universities across the US, Canada, and the UK.
Bejan's first book, Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration (Harvard University Press, 2017) was called "penetrating and sophisticated" by the New York Times, and her work has been featured on PBS, WNYC, CBC radio, Philosophy Bites and other podcasts. In addition to her many articles in academic journals and edited volumes, she has written on free speech and civility for The Atlantic and The Washington Post.
Teresa Bejan | Speaker | TED.com