Appropriate Conduct for All Relationships: Where Manners and Morals Meet
Manners allow us to put others at ease. These "polite" rules are designed to smooth interactions between individuals. Codes of morality function guide us in decisions that prevent us from causing harm to others.
We learn many of these lessons in childhood. When we learn to say please or thank you, to not punch our brother in the nose, and to not play catch with Aunt Irma's crystal vase, we are learning to treat others with respect and to not cause harm.
Some rules of manners are universal, others vary between cultures and time period. What may be appropriate in one society may be considered rude, or even illegal in another. It is sometimes confusing to keep up with what is proper and what is inappropriate or even imflammatory.
Our focus on this site is to consider what behaviors are appropriate in our society—the diverse community of Case Western Reserve University.