Who speaks, acts. Conversation is, like other actions, the subject of action theory, pragmatics, and also ethics, which deals with norms of action. Therefore, good conversational behavior can be described as a virtue. Is good conversation among friends a model for a good state? How should it unfold when individual interests diverge from those of others? What role do restraint and silence play? Are lies immoral or a matter of courtesy? What are the rules of good conversational behavior? These and other questions were the subject of rich reflection in the 17th and 18th centuries. They have lost none of their appeal and relevance to this day. The present volume systematically highlights contemporary facts, thus providing a welcome foundation for the historicity of regulated communication.