I Was Wrong
The Meanings of Apologies

I Was Wrong asks philosophical questions regarding the moral meaning of apologies.

Nick Smith (Author)

9780521684231, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 25 February 2008

312 pages
23.4 x 15.5 x 1.8 cm, 0.44 kg

'… a rather wonderful new book … [describes] the requirements for real- or 'categorical'- apology. It is the best working model for a 'proper sorry' that anyone has yet come up with … Another of Smith's critical factors is a 'shared commitment to violated moral principles.' Management Today

Apologies can be profoundly meaningful, yet many gestures of contrition - especially those in legal contexts - appear hollow and even deceptive. Discussing numerous examples from ancient and recent history, I Was Wrong argues that we suffer from considerable confusion about the moral meanings and social functions of these complex interactions. Rather than asking whether a speech act 'is or is not' an apology, Smith offers a highly nuanced theory of apologetic meaning. Smith leads us though a series of rich philosophical and interdisciplinary questions, explaining how apologies have evolved from a confluence of diverse cultural and religious practices that do not translate easily into secular discourse or gender stereotypes. After classifying several varieties of apologies between individuals, Smith turns to apologies from collectives. Although apologies from corporations, governments, and other groups can be quite meaningful in certain respects, we should be suspicious of those that supplant apologies from individual wrongdoers.

Part I. The Meanings of Apologies: 1. The meanings of apologies
2. Elements of the categorical apology
3. Apologies and gender
4. Apologies in diverse religious and cultural traditions
5. Unusual cases
6. The relationship between apologies and forgiveness
7. Varieties of apologies
Part II: 8. The collective categorical apology
9. The problem of consensus
10. Issues specific to collective apologies
11. Varieties of collective apologies.

Subject Areas: Jurisprudence & philosophy of law [LAB], Social & political philosophy [HPS], Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ], Philosophy [HP]