Abstract

It is often taken for granted by educationalists that toleration is a good thing; indeed, it is often taken for granted that toleration is a value which should be promoted in schools. It is thought to be especially valuable in a multicultural society such as modern Britain. But is this so, and why? In this paper we show that the issue of whether toleration should be promoted as a virtue in schools is controversial and its value needs careful consideration in the light of certain paradoxes. We conclude that while schools should, indeed, promote toleration, it is a necessary but insufficient part of what should be a wider programme of moral education.