Tagged: “forgiveness”
One more issue with my past materialist philosophy: Not only would forgiveness be out the window, but so would love. What would love mean from a neurological perspective?
Excellent question. As in the case of forgiveness, love from a materialist perspective obliterates original thoughts toward others, unique feelings, well-formed choices about how to serve the other, and, basically, how to truly grow in our humanity. It would render the idea of moral growth in our personhood impossible.
Thank you for your important idea on free will. I like it because it makes us agents of our own morality. I think it makes us more human than the idea that all we are is derived from our biology. The exclusive biological philosophy can lead to despair because we lack goals we can form and strive to achieve. Thank you.
Yes, an extreme neurological view of humanity takes away free will and therefore takes away our choice to act in a morally good or bad way. It basically takes away all moral virtues because, by definition, all moral virtues involve a free-will choice to be good in some way. Forgiveness, therefore, would be an illusion from the viewpoint of your previous philosophy.
Is Forgiveness Good for Your Health?
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A new article on forgiveness (How to let go of grudges — and why it could be good for your health) was published online by the Washington Post on Thursday, April 23, 2026. The article is behind a paywall ($2 for a one-time purchase of this one article) and can be found at this link!
What would you suggest to me about my worldview that I want to change. I basically have been duped into taking a strict materialist or neurobiological view of the world. This emerged from some of my reading. Here is what I mean: Some kept saying that we are what our neurons are. We are what our brainwaves are. That’s all we are. Now I see that this is nonsense because it has the hidden assumption that we are all robots. OK, it’s your turn. How would you respond to this, given your studies of forgiveness?
If we are nothing but robots wired to respond without our thinking, without our desires, then we never can truly forgive. Forgiveness assumes that people can choose to act unjustly. We assume that injustice is bad because the person had a choice to behave differently, more fairly. We assume that each person has free will, and this can and should be applied in such a way as to better other people and to better ourselves. What do you think?
In your experience, how will forgiving affect trust later on? For example, I was hurt in a past relationship, and now I am hesitant to enter into a new one. My trust is damaged.
Trust basically centers on reconciliation rather than on forgiveness. As people forgive, they tend to be more open to reconciliation, particularly when the other person is acting more fairly. A key issue about forgiveness and trust is this: If someone else is mean to you in a relationship, you now know how to forgive and so protect yourself from excessive anger. So, even if you feel that any new relationship might be a risk, you know that pathway to healing from the pains of conflict and separation: forgiveness. In other words, you have a powerful antidote to a breakup, and so, if and when you are ready, you could slowly try another relationship, knowing you have a cure for the pain of resentment if that relationship fails.
