Jeremy M. Watkins (Arizona State University): Publications - PhilPeople

Arizona State University
Philosophy - School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies

Undergraduate
Oklahoma State University
Department of Philosophy

Graduate student

Homepage

Tempe, Arizona, United States of America

Areas of Interest

Logic and Philosophy of Logic

4

Forgiveness and its Place in Ethics
Theoria 71 (1): 59-77. 2008.

A number of philosophers have suggested that acts of forgiveness are pointless if the wrongdoer has atoned for his offence (since there is nothing to be forgiven) and unjustified if no atonement has been forthcoming (since there are no grounds for forgiveness). My aim in this paper is twofold. First, I try to remove this dilemma and show that forgiveness has a proper place in ethics by providing an account of its nature and justification. Second, I argue that the dilemma is apt to emerge from an…Read more
A number of philosophers have suggested that acts of forgiveness are pointless if the wrongdoer has atoned for his offence (since there is nothing to be forgiven) and unjustified if no atonement has been forthcoming (since there are no grounds for forgiveness). My aim in this paper is twofold. First, I try to remove this dilemma and show that forgiveness has a proper place in ethics by providing an account of its nature and justification. Second, I argue that the dilemma is apt to emerge from an exclusively utilitarian outlook or an exclusively retributivist outlook, and that it is only by adopting a ‘mixed approach’ towards the treatment of wrongdoers that it can be removed.