Gentleness, Forgiveness and Justice

The fundamental expectation of respect for human dignity is rooted in mutual respect for the other as a rational being. As such, the other person is capable of gaining insight into their rights and duties, and of acting accordingly – and they are measured against this expectation. However, this is an abstraction that ignores the basic moral and epistemic fallibility of human beings. In forgiveness, in foreswearing a blame, or in forgoing the unrelenting assertion of (supposed) rights, on the other hand, the virtue of mildness or gentleness is manifested as a complementary dimension of humanity.

The ethical significance of this virtue is illustrated by the example of forgiveness and the question of whether and under what circumstances there is a duty to forgive. Such a duty requires that the moral transgression can no longer be meaningfully ascribed to the person of the transgressor. This means that a genuine duty can be established only in rare cases, while forgiving usually only exists as a “mild” or imperfect duty (practicing and maintaining a fundamental “willingness to forgive”).

While forgiveness is asymmetrical by nature, it does not necessarily occur only in asymmetrical situations. A mutual blame and a corresponding renunciation are also conceivable. This leads to reconciliation which is a communal process that involves forgiveness but begins beforehand. Moreover, reconciliation is not necessarily based on genuine forgiveness, as it can resemble a compromise, especially in cases where proximity is unavoidable (such as in families or political communities).