The CAS Alumni Relations Office hosted a Discoveries lecture, “Forgiveness: In War, Peace, Ordinary Times, and Extraordinary Circumstances,” on December 11. Philosophy Professor Charles Griswold, the guest speaker, explored the nature of forgiveness in different circumstances. His lecture was drawn from his book, Forgiveness: A Philosophical Exploration, published by Cambridge University Press in 2007.
Griswold explains that his fascination with the search for a flexible, yet principled, way for individuals to approach both giving and receiving forgiveness led to his work on the subject. “Forgiveness is a topic—a problem—that confronts us all, and from both ends: we have all done wrong, and we have all suffered it,” he says. “How to respond in a way that is principled, ethical, healing? These sorts of questions impressed themselves on me as I pondered what it would mean to work out an ethics that is non-perfectionist and yet true to the ethical fundamentals.”
While designed for CAS alumni, the Discoveries lectures are open to the BU community. The next lecture in the series will take place on February 5 at 7 p.m. in the Trustee Ballroom, One Silber Way. Professor of Sociology and International Relations Susan Eckstein and Assistant Dean of Students Daryl DeLuca will take a look back at “The Cuban Revolution at 50.” Two more lectures are planned for the spring: “The Bailout Six Months Later” on April 16 and “The Road to Sloogle: Gesture-Based Computer Search Tools for American Sign Language” on May 14. All lectures are followed by a light reception, and admission is typically $15. For further information, contact casalum@bu.edu .