Habits of the heart: the common good and universities

Educational institutions critically contribute to the formation of individual character and individual moral dispositions. Empathy and regard for others is critically inculcated and formed in institutional contexts where people associate together and learn the habits and mores that contribute to social cohesion and provide the deep basis for the development of a sense of common purpose and shared destiny. In societies characterized by a history of horizontal inequality between social and cultural groups the problems of developing a sense of social solidarity, mutual understanding and common purpose becomes a conscious problem in public policy. Educational institutions are active and conscious sites where the formation of social solidarity and common purpose are intentionally engaged through forms of associational life. The formation of moral character and social empathy through conscious attention to associational life in educational institutions is a core and primary interest in societies marred by historical patterns of horizontal inequality. This is the key argument which animates the discussion in this paper.