Forgiveness

In this book, Joram Graf Haber presents a systematic philosophical exploration of the nature and value of forgiveness, and argues that it should be elevated to a proper status among other important virtues. Part I, concerned with the question "What is forgiveness?" includes an extensive review of the literature. After rejecting models of forgiveness explicating it in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions, Haber suggests a more fruitful approach by focusing on what people mean when they use the term, and he examines, in detail, what this entails. Along the way, Haber considers those concepts with which forgiveness is related but from which it is distinct such as condonation, pardon, and mercy. Part II deals with the question of whether and to what extent forgiveness is a virtue.