Public Forgiveness

with Simone Gubler, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy

Simone Gubler received her PhD in philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019. She has an MA in Philosophy from the New School for Social Research, and Bachelors of Arts and of Laws from the Australian National University. Her work addresses questions at the intersection of moral psychology, normative ethics, and political philosophy. Much of her research deals with the concept of forgiveness. Against the prevailing view that forgiveness is a positive value, her work urges a skeptical attitude. Forgiveness is not always morally valuable, and never morally obligatory; and it should occasion particular concern when drafted into roles in public discourse and legal institutional contexts. She argues that, in such contexts, the celebration, facilitation, and emulation of forgiveness can function to harm vulnerable persons and compromise key norms of justice. In addition to her philosophical qualifications, Simone is admitted to practice as a lawyer in Australia, and maintains active interests in international human rights law and criminal justice reform.

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This talk is part of the PPE Program’s collaboration with Carolina Public Humanities and their Humanities in Action Series at FlyLeaf Books. All talks in this series are free to UNC and Duke students, as well as UNC faculty and staff.