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Full Idea
Man has bettered himself through institutions and habits which tend to make the welfare of all the welfare of each.
Gist of Idea
People are improved by egalitarian institutions and habits
Source
T.H. Green (Prolegomena to Ethics [1882], p.180), quoted by John H. Muirhead - The Service of the State II
Book Ref
Muirhead,John H.: 'The Service of the State: T.H. Green' [John Murray 2021], p.34
A Reaction
I like this a lot. We underestimate how the best social values are promoted by the existence of enlightened institutions, rather than by preaching and teaching. Schools, law courts and churche embody their values.