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Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2012

Charles L. Griswold
Affiliation:
Boston University
David Konstan
Affiliation:
New York University
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Summary

Preface

Charles L. Griswold

Talk about forgiveness has reached astonishing proportions in the contemporary world. Forgiveness is said to do it all: it is the cure for wrongs both personal and political, the road to eternal salvation, and the secret to mental and physical health. Related notions such as apology, pardon, excuse, mercy, pity, sympathy, empathy, and reconciliation have also gained wide currency. One can hardly open the newspaper without reading about an apology being offered by, or demanded from, some organization, state, or prominent individual. We want apology and remorse from convicted criminals so as to decide how harshly to punish them; we praise South Africa’s famous Truth and Reconciliation Commission as the path to forgiveness and civic unity; countless self-help and religious tracts urge us to forgive our enemies unilaterally and instruct us how to do so, promising that we shall thereby rid ourselves of toxic resentment. Forgiveness and related notions are now so thoroughly woven into the fabric of culture that it is hard to imagine a moral world without them.

Type
Chapter
Information
Ancient Forgiveness
Classical, Judaic, and Christian
, pp. xi - xvi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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References

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  • Preface
  • Edited by Charles L. Griswold, Boston University, David Konstan, New York University
  • Book: Ancient Forgiveness
  • Online publication: 05 January 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511978654.001
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  • Preface
  • Edited by Charles L. Griswold, Boston University, David Konstan, New York University
  • Book: Ancient Forgiveness
  • Online publication: 05 January 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511978654.001
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Preface
  • Edited by Charles L. Griswold, Boston University, David Konstan, New York University
  • Book: Ancient Forgiveness
  • Online publication: 05 January 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511978654.001
Available formats
×