HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Virginia Postrel: Harvard Pledge Values “Kindness” Over Learning. Ask them to publicly sign a pledge of patriotism and see how it goes . . . .

But wait, there’s more: “And that brings us to the second half of the pledge equation: intellectual attainment. Not inquiry or excellence, but ‘attainment.’ What a strange, and revealing, choice of words. . . . Harvard is the strongest brand in American higher education, and its identity is clear. As its students recognize, Harvard represents success. But, it seems, Harvard feels guilty about that identity and wishes it could instead (or also) represent ‘compassion.’ These two qualities have a lot in common. They both depend on other people, either to validate success or serve as objects of compassion. And neither is intellectual.”