This chapter is an exploration of the inseparable faculties of forgiveness and promise in the thought of Hannah Arendt. It focuses on the ways she demythologised certain religious practises and concepts in her political account of forgiveness and promise. Attention is drawn to her recommendation to engage in 'the secularisation of religious tradition,' and the similarities between elements of the Jewish mystical tradition, in particular the concept of tikkun olam, and her political theory are made explicit. This study reveals that there is much more at work and at stake in forgiveness and promise than just release from the past and shared commitment to the future.
History
Publication title
Forgiveness: Promise, Possibility & Failure
Editors
G Karabin and K Wigura
Pagination
159-170
ISBN
9781848880559
Department/School
School of Humanities
Publisher
Inter-Disciplinary Press
Place of publication
Oxford
Extent
24
Rights statement
Copyright 2011 Inter-Disciplinary Press
Repository Status
Open
Socio-economic Objectives
Expanding knowledge in philosophy and religious studies