I was wrong : the meanings of apologies / Nick Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Nick, 1972 January 14- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Apologizing.

Ethics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 298 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Apologies can be profoundly meaningful, yet many gestures of contrition - especially those in legal contexts - appear hollow and even deceptive. Discussing numerous examples from ancient and recent history, I Was Wrong argues that we suffer from considerable confusion about the moral meanings and social functions of these complex interactions. Rather than asking whether a speech act 'is or is not' an apology, Smith offers a highly nuanced theory of apologetic meaning. Smith leads us though a series of rich philosophical and interdisciplinary questions, explaining how apologies have evolved from a confluence of diverse cultural and religious practices that do not translate easily into secular discourse or gender stereotypes. After classifying several varieties of apologies between individuals, Smith turns to apologies from collectives. Although apologies from corporations, governments, and other groups can be quite meaningful in certain respects, we should be suspicious of those that supplant apologies from individual wrongdoers.

Contents:

Introduction: Apologies as a source of moral meaning in modernity

The meanings of apologies

Elements of the categorical apology

Corroborated factual record

Acceptance of blame

Distinguished from expression of sympathy

Causation and moral responsibility

Accidents and denials of intent

Standing

Identification of each harm

Identification of the moral principles underlying each harm

Endorsing moral principles underlying each harm

Recognition of victim as moral interlocutor

Categorical regret

Performance of the apology

Reform and redress

Intentions for apologizing

Emotions

Apologies and gender

Apologies in diverse religious and cultural traditions

Unusual cases : apologizing to animals, infants, machines, the deceased, and

Yourself

The relationship between apologies and forgiveness

Varieties of apologies

Collective apologies

The collective categorical apology

The problem of consensus

Issues specific to collective apologies

Collectives corroborating factual records

Collectives and blame

Distinguished from collective expressions of sympathy

Collective causation and collective moral responsibility

Collective accidents and denials of intent

Collectives, standing, and delegation

Collectives identifying each harm

Collectives identifying the moral principles underlying each harm

Collectives endorsing moral principles underlying each harm

Collectives recognizing victims as moral interlocutors

Collectives and categorical regret

Collectives performing apologies

Collectives reforming and providing redress

Collective intentions for apologizing

Collective emotions

Varieties of collective apologies

Conclusion: Previewing apologies in law.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-107-17873-8

0-521-68423-4

1-281-37048-7

9786611370480

0-511-39409-8

0-511-39198-6

0-511-39078-5

0-511-49925-6

0-511-39329-6

OCLC:

437204674