Forgiveness: A Philosophical Exploration

✍ Scribed by Charles Griswold

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 271
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Nearly everyone has wronged another. Who among us has not longed to be forgiven? Nearly everyone has suffered the bitter injustice of wrongdoing. Who has not struggled to forgive? Charles Griswold has written the first comprehensive philosophical book on forgiveness in both its interpersonal and political contexts, as well as its relation to reconciliation. Having examined the place of forgiveness in ancient philosophy and in modern thought, he discusses what forgiveness is, what conditions the parties to it must meet, its relation to revenge and hatred, when it is permissible and whether it is obligatory, and why it is a virtue.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 11
Prologue......Page 15
1 Forgiveness Ancient and Modern......Page 29
[i] Pardon, Excuse, and Forgiveness in Ancient Philosophy: the standpoint of perfection......Page 30
[ii] Bishop Butler's Seminal Analysis......Page 47
[ii.a] Resentment......Page 50
[ii.b] Forgiveness......Page 59
[i] Forgiveness, Revenge, and Resentment......Page 66
[ii] Resentment and Self-Respect......Page 71
[iii] To Be Forgiven: changing your ways, contrition, and regret......Page 75
[iv] Forgiving: a change of heart, and seeing the offender and oneself in a new light......Page 81
[v] The Conditions of Forgiveness: Objections and replies......Page 87
[v.a] Atonement and the Payment or Dismissal of a Debt......Page 88
[v.b] Forgiveness as a Gift and Unconditional Forgiveness......Page 90
[v.c] Praiseworthy Conditional Forgiveness......Page 97
[vi] Moral Monsters, Shared Humanity, and Sympathy......Page 100
[vi.a] Moral Monsters......Page 101
[vi.b] Shared Humanity and Fallibility, Compassion, and Pity......Page 105
[vi.c] Sympathy......Page 111
[vii] The Unforgivable and the Unforgiven......Page 118
[viii] Forgiveness, Narrative, and Ideals......Page 126
[ix] Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Friendship......Page 138
[i] Ideal and Non-Ideal Forgiveness: an inclusive or exclusive relation?......Page 141
[ii] Third-Party Forgiveness......Page 145
[iii.a] Forgiving the Dead......Page 148
[iii.b] Forgiving the Unrepentant......Page 149
[iv] Self-Forgiveness......Page 150
[iv.a] Self-Forgiveness for Injuries to Others......Page 151
[iv.b] Self-Forgiveness for Injuries to Oneself......Page 153
[iv.c] Self-Forgiveness for Injuries One Could Not Help Inflicting......Page 156
[v] Forgiveness and Moral Luck......Page 158
4 Political Apology, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation......Page 162
[i] Apology and Forgiveness Writ Large: Questions and Distinctions......Page 163
[ii] Political Apology Among the One and Many......Page 174
[ii.a] Many to Many Apology: Test Cases......Page 175
[ii.b] One to Many Apology: Two Failures......Page 191
[iii] Traditional Rituals of Reconciliation: Apology, Forgiveness, or Pardon?......Page 195
[iv] Apology and the Unforgivable......Page 200
[v] Apology, Forgiveness, and Civic Reconciliation......Page 202
[vi] A Culture of Apology and of Forgiveness: Risks and Abuses......Page 208
[vii] Political Apology, Narrative, and Ideals......Page 211
5 Truth, Memory, and Civic Reconciliation without Apology......Page 223
[i] The Vietnam Veterans Memorial: an Interpretation......Page 229
The second reads......Page 232
[ii] Reconciliation without Apology?......Page 234
Epilogue......Page 239
Bibliography......Page 243
Index......Page 261