Who is bound by the duty of civility? On Badano and Nuti’s Politicizing Political Liberalism

Abstract

In Politicizing Political Liberalism , Gabriele Badano and Alasia Nuti argue that those who are victims of oppression are relieved from the duty of civility, which then allows them to use disruption and violence to advance their political views. This is based on the no self-sacrifice view: the duty of civility would be self-sacrificial for those who are victims of oppression, which is in conflict with their duty of self-protection. In this commentary, I argue that, although it must be possible to justify the use of some uncivil actions in the fight against injustice, the specific justification used by Badano and Nuti based on the no self-sacrifice view faces important challenges. In particular, I have concerns (1) with the role that groups play in the argument, (2) with the idea of a general relief from the duty of civility, and (3) with the asymmetry between victims and privileged allies.