Imagine a case of wrongdoing-not something trivial, but nothing so serious that adequate reparations are impossible. Imagine, further, that the wrongdoer makes those reparations and sincerely apologizes. Does she have a moral right to be forgiven? The standard view is that she does not, but this paper contends that the standard view is mistaken. It begins by showing that the arguments against a right to be forgiven are inconclusive. It ends by making two arguments in defense of that right.Keywords Forgiveness . Making amends . Right to be forgiven Imagine a case of wrongdoing-not something trivial, but nothing so serious that adequate reparations are impossible. Imagine, further, that the wrongdoer makes those reparations and sincerely apologizes. She becomes what I will call an amends-making offender. 1 Does she have a moral right to be forgiven?The question is not whether there can be weighty moral reasons to forgive, for there surely can be. It might be important to preserve a valuable relationship. Or, perhaps, holding on to resentment will poison your character. The question is not about moral reasons in general, but about moral rights in particular: does the amends-making offender-the wrongdoer who makes adequate reparations and sincerely apologizes-have a right to be forgiven?There is some pressure to answer 'No.' We are typically entitled to demand our rights. Blacks in the civil rights movement did not meekly request equality; they demanded equal treatment as their moral due. But we typically ask for forgivenesswe say "Please forgive me," not "Forgive me now!" On the other hand, there is some Philosophia
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