Manners Maketh Man: Values, Virtue, Courtesy, and Decorum

We have progressed in so many other ways. Why are propriety and courtesy in such short supply in the 21st century?

The fresco "Cardinal and Theological Virtues" by Raphael, 1511. The three women represent charity, prudence, and faith. Public domain

Like some of my readers, I live alone, caretaker for my daughter’s house, which will soon go on the market. During this time of enforced solitude compliments of the CCP virus, I have spent a little time each day watching videos of Roger Scruton on YouTube.

Scruton, a conservative and philosopher who died this year, always had interesting things to say, but right now, in the midst of our double pandemic of virus and fear, I watch him because he brings me comfort. For the most part, he speaks in a soft and soothing voice, his accent that of an English gentleman, as he discusses matters ranging from the meaning of conservatism to the power of beauty.

Our Lost Decorum

In Scruton’s discussion with Hamza Yusuf, a prominent American Islamic scholar, the two men at one point mull over the cultural changes they’ve seen in their lifetimes. Yusuf brings up a conversation with his “extremely liberal” mother, who was born in 1921. When he asked what was the worst thing that had happened over the course of her lifetime, his mother replied: “Manners. The loss of manners.”