The Essentials of Forgiveness: A Virtue-Focused Philosophical Analysis

Abstract

In this project I offer a philosophical exploration of human forgiveness based in virtue theory that pays special attention to the development of the self in relation to others. I argue that humans are fundamentally social beings, and that maintaining healthy relationships with others is therefore essential to our realization as flourishing individuals. Thus, so long as we harm one another in ways that threaten our relationships, we will have need of a faculty that reverses the damage we inflict: forgiveness. Characteristic of this faculty, I argue, is its ability to revive dead or dying relationships by transforming the dispositions of forgiver and forgiven. In the best cases, offender and offended become friends, though it is only strictly necessary that they both commit to virtuous self-improvement and develop a general sense of goodwill for one another. How does forgiveness work? I argue that the concept is best analyzed in terms of three component virtues: humility, faith, and care, each of which requires repeated, real-world practice to develop. Without these components, I argue, forgiveness is incomplete, and therefore cannot heal our relationships or bring us closer to flourishing. My discussions of virtue and the self draw on the philosophies of Aristotle, William James, Julia Annas, and others. I illustrate my theory with examples drawn from fiction, such as Les Miserables, historical non-fiction, such as Wiesenthal's The Sunflower, and current events, such as the forgiveness exhibited in the wake of the Charleston shooting.