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If the society that lies ahead is to be a better and more ethical one, schools play a key role in its realisation. Since the 1944 Education Act implemented at the end of World War II in Europe, schooling became dominated by the idea of a meritocracy for its function in promoting social mobility. In this book, David Hargreaves explores ways in which schooling might be reimagined to strengthen the moral and ethical base of schooling, to cultivate in students the excellences of intellect and character that underlie deep happiness.

Hargreaves emphasises the importance of happiness, excellence and civic friendship to reframe the aims of schooling, drawing on works from Emile Durkheim and Aristotle, and the lesser known studies of Carol Gilligan and Sybil Schwarzenbach. He explores how the rapidly changing nature of work is an important ethical ally by providing new time and space for building community cohesion and the growth of protest and social movements offers new opportunities by which young people can play active roles in the creation of an ethical society. Bringing together various areas of study usually kept apart, this book is novel in its exploration of schooling as a powerful source of change if we are to create a more ethical society that lies ahead.