We live in an uncivil age and that incivility is destroying our ability to flourish as human beings. The technology of social media might be new, but the toxic environment it cultivates isn’t. What is the solution to the problem of incivility? What does it mean to be truly civil?

Alexandra Hudson argues in The Soul of Civility that true civility means recognizing the innate dignity of others—which sometimes means respecting people enough to tell them they’re wrong. Civility is more than mere politeness. Drawing from ancient wisdom found in Socrates, Epictetus, and Confucius, Hudson crafts a solution to incivility that is as old as the problem.