Choosing to Forgive

In what sense is forgiveness a choice? Is forgiving something that is under the victim’s voluntary control, or do some victims find themselves unable to forgive, no matter how hard they try? Guest Professor Lucy Allais, a philosopher who holds academic positions at both the University of the Witwatersrand and Johns Hopkins University, discusses whether we should always choose to forgive those who have wronged us. To highlight this issue, Professor Allais tries to make sense of June Steenkamp’s decision to forgive Oscar Pistorius – the man who murdered her daughter – despite June knowing full well that Oscar remains unapologetic and unrepentant.

Creators and Guests

Host

Professor Luke Russell

Guest

Professor Lucy Allais

What is The Philosophy of Living Well?

In this series of podcasts, University of Sydney philosopher Luke Russell is joined by a series of guests to examine the nature of the good life. What is it to live well? How should we treat other people? How should we respond when things go wrong? Which goals are worth pursuing? These fascinating discussions reveal a variety of competing conceptions of human flourishing, and help you to think more clearly about how you ought to live.