Sincere Apology Without Moral Responsibility

Abstract

Alice is a moral responsibility abolitionist. She firmly believes that no one (including herself) is ever morally responsible, that rewards and punishments can never be justified on the basis of just deserts, and that blaming people for vicious character traits and vile acts is never morally justified. One day, Barbara, Alice's dearest friend, confides to Alice a special secret: a secret Barbara clearly does not want revealed to others, a secret shared only with a special and specially trusted friend. A week later, Alice—in a moment of weakness, but with conscious awareness of betraying a deep confidence—tells Barbara's secret to Carl, who spreads the secret to a wide circle of people. Barbara soon discovers that her secret has been betrayed, and her feelings are profoundly hurt. Can Alice— who denies all moral responsibility—sincerely apologize to Barbara? Moral responsibility abolitionists can indeed make sincere apologies. The denial of moral responsibility promotes sincere apology, and (it will be argued) insistence on moral responsibility is an impediment to sincere apology. This claim that apology is compatible with the denial of moral responsibility is not based on some attenuated version of apology: the politician's pseudo-apology, in the form of I'm sorry if anyone took offense at my words, or I'm sorry if anyone misinterpreted my state ment in such a way as to feel insulted.1 Denial of moral responsibility is consistent with, and contributes to, full categorical apologies:2 apologies in which the moral responsibility abolitionist honestly acknowledges having done wrong, sincerely regrets the moral flaw in his or her charac ter, resolves to avoid such wrongful acts in the future, and desires to repair or mitigate the harm caused. Moral responsibility abolitionists can consistently make such categorical apologies; and the denial of moral responsibility will facilitate sincere full apology. The assertion that denial of moral responsibility is compatible with sincere apology does have some limits. Obviously if you set the stan