What’s the good in getting even? – new podcast explores punishment, forgiveness and revenge

The new episode of the Ethics Untangled podcast features two prominent academics exploring the themes of punishment, forgiveness and revenge.

Paula Satne, Lecturer in Applied Ethics at the IDEA Centre, and Krisanna Scheiter, Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Union College, discuss their new collection of edited essays, Conflict and Resolution: The Ethics of Forgiveness, Revenge and Punishment.

Speaking to Dr Jim Baxter, they consider such ideas on an interpersonal level, as well as from a societal or international perspective: is it good to forgive? Can there ever be any value in taking revenge on people who have wronged us? Should groups of people forgive or forget historic wrongs that have been perpetrated against them?

Paula’s research focuses on theoretical and applied issues related to human evil and the ethics and politics of forgiveness and memory.  Her recent research is on Kantian forgiveness, political forgiveness and public commemoration of politically motivated wrongdoing, punishment, pacifism, and conflict resolution, and our shared complicity and responsibility for structural injustice.

Krisanna specialises in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy. Her research focuses on Plato and Aristotle's accounts of emotion, desire, imagination, and thinking. Most recently her work explores Plato and Aristotle's account of the mind, knowledge, and truth. In addition, she continues to examine Aristotle's account of revenge and why he thinks sometimes we are justified in seeking revenge against wrongdoers.

According to Aristotle there may be times when the virtuous person is justified in taking revenge. Many commentators claim that revenge, on Aristotle’s account, aims at restoring the honour and reputation of the avenger, but I will show that this cannot be why the virtuous person seeks revenge. I argue, instead, that the virtuous person seeks revenge when she is slighted in order to prove her worth.

Summarising one of her essays from the new book, Krisanna said: “According to Aristotle there may be times when the virtuous person is justified in taking revenge. Many commentators claim that revenge, on Aristotle’s account, aims at restoring the honor and reputation of the avenger, but I will show that this cannot be why the virtuous person seeks revenge. I argue, instead, that the virtuous person seeks revenge when she is slighted in order to prove her worth.”

Formerly the IDEA Podcast, the recently relaunched Ethics Untangled features a range of conversations about the ethical issues that affect us all.

Further information

Listen to the this episode of Ethics Untangled on the BuzzSprout website.