From: john66@attbi.com
Date: Mon Feb 03 2003 - 20:34:53 GMT
TO the person who asked for advice about teaching morality to young kids. I
think it applies to all ages:
Remember that quality is the same as morality. A teacher should make sure that
children understand that when something is expected of them in a static-
patterned sense (because it is the way things have been and probably will be),
it is also expected of them in the dynamic binary good/bad sense (it is the way
things ought to be). They have to understand that "supposed to do their
homework" means both that we predict that they will probably do their homework,
and that they ought to. They have to learn that the dual meanings of "should"
are not alternate meanings that just happen to use the same word, but are
simultaneous meanings that rely on each other for their own meaning. You can't
break apart the two meanings of "should" without losing each meaning -
eventually nothing will do what it probably will if it isn't considered good
that it does it, and vice versa. Holding static patterns together because we
ought to is what keeps the world from unravelling. The dynamic change doesn't
need to be taught at all, it is way way way more imporatant to teach them to
respect and repeat the static patterns, just be sure to include as a static
pattern the expectation for things to be original and fresh and interesting.
Make them respect you, so that they respect authority, and so that they are
able to happily have some pragmatic faith to build on, that things are what
they appear to be.
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