Two Kinds of Forgiveness
In: Forgiveness: Philosophy, Psychology and the ArtsSearch for other papers by Kerstin Reibold in
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Forgiveness is often seen as involving both an individual and a social part. I would like to propose to distinguish these parts into separate kinds of forgiveness: social and personal forgiveness. I understand social forgiveness as the act of rehabilitating and reaccepting the wrongdoer as an equal moral agent and community member, thereby annulling the former guilt. It is used to achieve compliance with social norms, and is granted by society or the relevant peer group. Personal forgiveness, in contrast, only involves the victim and the wrongdoer, who is set free from an otherwise unpayable debt, and the special obligations towards the victim that come with it. Although the ascription and release of (moral) guilt lies at the heart of both kinds of forgiveness, the differentiation into social and personal forgiveness might have some explanatory advantages. Firstly, it could help to resolve the tension between the notion of forgiveness as a freely given gift, and the feeling that in some cases the wrongdoer ‘deserves’ forgiveness, or even has a weak right to it, and that the unforgiving victim withholds it unduly, thereby keeping the wrongdoer trapped in his deed. Secondly, it can help to explain why personal forgiveness does not rule out further criminal prosecution, even though the wrongdoer is seemingly released from guilt. Thirdly, it might help to answer the question why personal forgiveness, in contrast to social forgiveness, can never be morally wrong. Fourthly, it can provide a helpful tool to investigate cases in which personal and social forgiveness is not congruent, e.g. if social forgiveness is required for a behaviour that does not create moral guilt between the directly involved people (premarital sex between consenting partners in a very traditional society), or if personal forgiveness is called for even though society does not see any wrong committed (child marriage).