| Synopsis: |
There is so much abuse, intolerance and hatred in today's world that forgiveness may have become the one of the greatest virtues on earth. Arguments for forgiveness, repentance, apology and reconciliation abound in philosophy, religion, psychology, politics, law, and fiction, as well as among criminals and those who judge them. As common as those arguments are, we are however, very often left with an incomplete understanding of what we mean when we speak about forgiveness. Amidst the many claims made about forgiveness, the third 'Probing the Boundaries' conference attempted to put forgiveness into multi-disciplinary perspective. This international event attracted authors from around the world and provided a site for engagement across disciplinary boundaries and dialogue among the participants. Each discipline sketched maps that have different foci. In the papers gathered in this volume, the authors examine the registers of individual psychology, philosophy, religious belief, social practice, and political power circulating in and around those who forgive. This collection of essays, we hope, will give the reader many views on the puzzling phenomenon of forgiveness.The editors invite you to expand your perspective on this personal, relational, community, societal, and political phenomenon of forgiveness. The conversations you will listen to as you read can stretch your mind to a new understanding that might help you make a positive impact on furthering and restoring peace to the world. |