Description
Is violent revenge ever morally
justified? Is forgiveness necessary for reconciliation? Is anything
unforgivable? In this timely exploration of our attitudes to wrongdoing,
Trudy Govier examines the values that underlie our thinking about
revenge and forgiveness.
From adulterous spouses to terrorist
factions, we are surrounded by wrongdoing - yet we rarely agree which
response is appropriate. The problem of how to respond realistically and
sensitively to the wrongs of the past remains a perplexing one. Trudy
Govier aims to clear up some of our thinking on this subject by
examining the moral and practical impact of revenge and forgiveness,
both personal and political.
Comments
and Reviews
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Splendid. Cogently and
persuasively argued, it makes out the case for forgiveness and
reconciliation on sound philosophical and secular grounds. I am very
impressed.
Mary Sigler, in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
Trudy Govier's thoughtful
examination of forgiveness and revenge considers the moral and practical
implications of choosing forgiveness rather than revenge in the context
of both personal and political wrongdoing. Focusing on South
Africa's Truth and ReconciliationCommission in particular, and
intranational ethnic and political conflict more generally, Govier makes
a case for forgiveness among groups in the political realm that is mean
to draw strength from -- and strengthen -- the case for forgiveness
among individuals. Relying on a mix of scholarly literature,
intellectual journalism, and vivid historical and contemporary
examples, Govier rejects . . . the conventional view that some moral
wrongs are so egregious that their perpetrators are absolutely
unforgivable. According to Govier, there are no 'moral monsters.'
Table of Contents
Preface>
1. Revenge and Retribution
2. Some Political Horrors
3. Resentment and Forgiveness
4. One-Sided Forgiveness?
5. Can Groups Forgive?
6. The Unforgivable
7. Monstrous Deeds, not Monstrous People
8. Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Appendix 1. Religious Traditions on
Forgiveness
Appendix 2. Respect for Persons as an
Ethical Foundation
Ordering Information
Trudy Govier; Forgiveness and Revenge.
Routledge, 2002.
ISBN: 0-415-278-56-2 Paper: US$22,95,
Cdn$34.95, 0-415-278-55-4 Cloth: US$80.00, Cdn$120.
Routledge (New York)
29 West 35th Street,
New York, NY 10001
info@routledge-ny.com
