The Sense of Moral Community

“The divisiveness of modern politics and modern culture flows directly from the fact that we seem to have lost the sense of moral community that allowed people to feel that though their political views might be opposed, nonetheless they were part of the same nation, heirs to its history, sharing its fate, responsible for one another, engaged collectively in pursuit of the common good. This did not stop politics being abrasive, sometimes brutal. But it did mean that people recognised the humanity of their opponents, listened to them and recognised that other viewpoints had integrity.”

Morality, Chapter 13, p. 198