When a government creates a bureau, department, office, or ministry, it gives that ministry a "mandate". The "mandate" is the reason it was created, the mission that it attempts to achieve, and the area in which it has authority. For instance, the mandate of the United States Environmental Protection Agency is " to protect and conserve the natural environment and improve the health of humans by researching the effects of and enacting limits on the use of pollutants." Why were humanities and arts invented? According to this author, it was in order to watchfully align individual morality and public morality. What mission should humanities and arts try to accomplish? According to this author, they should try to watchfully align individual morality and public morality. And finally, according to this author, if I have a question about " the watchful alignment of individual morality and public morality", the right person to ask the question, and the person who will have the correct answer, will be a humanities scholar or an artist---and not, for instance, a priest or a politician or a wise old grandmother. The idea of "mandate" includes all three of these elements.

mandate noun 1. an official order or commission to do something. "a mandate to seek the release of political prisoners" 2. the authority to carry out a policy, regarded as given by the electorate to a party or candidate that wins an election. "he called an election to seek a mandate for his policies" verb 1. give (someone) authority to act in a certain way. "the rightful king was mandated and sanctioned by God" 2. HISTORICAL (of territory) be assigned to (another power) under a mandate of the League of Nations. "mandated territories" . A mandate is a brief, a scope a entitlement or most often a command to do something. . This sentences says “the purpose of arts is to have such alignment” - as you say, but moreover, the prupose of it is to create such alignement. Some might think this concept is sheer pompous nonesense , but I, of course, could not possibly comment.

Hi Cassandra, The word "mandate" here follows more the meaning “the purpose of arts is to have such alignment” that you mentioned. We can understand it as an "official, established, universal purpose or goal". Rephrasing it like this might help you understand the meaning it is trying to achieve: - Humanities and arts have as their purpose to align individual morality and public morality. - Humanities and arts have the goal of aligning individual morality and public morality. The meaning is slightly different, but it follows the same understanding. I hope that helps!