The Kindly Virtues: Reconceptualising Moral Virtues of Polite Civility

This enlightening book identifies a new subset of moral virtues motivated by kindness and adherence to norms of inoffensiveness and agreeableness. Kristján Kristjánsson proposes that these kindly virtues have inherent contextual and cultural specificity, distinguishing them from other kindness-motivated virtues. This enlightening book identifies a new subset of moral virtues motivated by kindness and adherence to norms of inoffensiveness and agreeableness. Kristján Kristjánsson proposes that these kindly virtues have inherent contextual and cultural specificity, distinguishing them from other kindness-motivated virtues. Kristján Kristjánsson justifies the creation of a new category of virtues distinct from both the Big-Five trait of agreeableness and Aristotle’s three virtues of agreeableness in everyday encounters. He explores considerateness and intellectual humility, assessing the independent moral value of the kindly virtues and discussing various taxonomies, including Gulliford and Roberts’ allocentric virtues. The book rejects the distinction between morality and manners amidst an increasingly harsh landscape of public debate, suggesting a new moral framework for conglomerating kindness and cultural specificity and addressing rarely discussed counterpoints to traditional virtuous behavioural guidelines. The Kindly Virtues is an essential resource for scholars and students of moral psychology, philosophy and education seeking to develop their understanding of alternative virtue frameworks. Psychologists and curriculum developers will also benefit from its insights.