Joan Lluís Pérez Francesch, Professor of Constitutional Law at UAB and Secretary of AmicsUAB, delved into the various reasons behind the lack of civility in our towns and cities.
The Professor discussed the management of inconvenience and the need to reclaim public space in a society in constant crisis. A crisis, he noted, that underscores the importance of moral education: “We don’t need to be told what to do; it must come from within us” –emphasized Pérez Francesch– “Morally, things are either right or wrong; they don’t depend on our opinion because then there would be no ethical foundation.”
There is a significant difference between acting civilly out of conviction, having received moral education, or acting by convention, imposed through municipal ordinances and laws aimed at penalizing incivility.
According to the speaker, civility provides us with a set of rules for living in a society currently experiencing a conflict of internal values. The heterogeneity of today’s society, generational conflicts, individualism, and the weakening of community bonds make it truly difficult to agree on a minimum ethical standard of behavior.
To conclude, a Q&A session was opened with the attendees, leading to a very engaging debate about many of the issues raised during the talk. The discussion concluded that much work, tolerance, and understanding of others are needed to foster positive civility.
