Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Series

Faculty Publications

Rhode Island College

Double message; William Damon; education; polyphony; moral message;

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Education

Redefinition Of Plurality, Alexander M. Sidorkin Jan 1998

Redefinition Of Plurality, Alexander M. Sidorkin

Faculty Publications

The notion of 'double message' is commonly perceived as a negative one in the educational context. Many believe that an educational institution, and even better, a whole community, must convey a consistent moral message to the youth. This paper aims to show that the consistency of a message is not always good, and that truly educational moral message is always a double message, an ambivalent and a self-contradicting one. To preserve the polyphony of a moral message, I argue, is more important than to observe the cohesion of such a message.