Document Type
Senior Paper/Project
Abstract
While not always the case, there are instances where parties involved disagree on the nature of a particular offense. Personal conflict can lead to rifts in personal relationships or moral trust of the larger community; disagreement over the nature of the offense can lead to greater conflict and prevent forgiveness. The goal of this paper is to examine the reasons disagreement over the nature of offenses occurs, how to resolve these disagreements, and how this affects the process of forgiveness. In order to do so effectively, first a survey of models of forgiveness will be given to establish a clear definition and working model of what is meant by forgiveness. Following this, I will examine why disagreement in accounts of the offense can prevent forgiveness from taking place. Finally, through examining narrative theory and discourse ethics, a model for resolving disputes over the nature of the offense will be constructed. From this, I will show that in order for forgiveness to take place, the parties involved must reach an agreement as to what the nature of wrongdoing was, which can be done through the communicative action of narrative sharing.
Department(s)
History, Philosophy and Political Science
Date Accepted/Awarded
3-2017
Award/Distinction
Library Research Prize - First Place Winner
Course
PHI499 Philosophy Senior Seminar
First Advisor/Reader
Paul Reasoner
Recommended Citation
Bengtson, Christopher, "A Narrative Approach to Forgiveness Amidst Disagreement" (2017). Library Research Prize Student Works. 7.
https://spark.bethel.edu/library-research-prize-work/7
Reflection on Library Research process required to qualify for Library Research Prize
Terms of Use and License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.