Civility requires the willingness to engage – a dispute with a neighbor revealed how much motivation matters

An ethicist who studies disagreement and civility assumed she could handle a neighborly dispute – until the neighbor refused to even interact with her.

By: Deborah Mower, University of Mississippi, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: July 2, 2026

Words: 2,675

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 6 days ago

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By Deborah Mower, University of Mississippi

I stood there in shock, staring blankly at the letter. A lawyer was notifying me that my neighbors – as well as anyone they hired – would be on my property the next day to cut some branches from a tree near the property line. It ended with a stern command to lock up my “vicious” dog for the safety of the workers.

I read the letter over and over, …

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