Abstract:  “Double consciousness” occurs when one internalizes some oppressive or demanding social standard, judges oneself harshly for failing to live up to it, but also remains alienated from that standard.  Many think that double consciousness is a distinctively bad psychological condition. In this paper, I explore what it might be that makes double consciousness seem so bad to so many and suggest, by way of counter-examples, that double consciousness is not something we should always strive to overcome. I argue, moreover, that, given our natures, and given the flawed world we live in, living with double consciousness may often be the best thing for us.