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Apologizing: a skill we could all use at some time or another. So when The Globe and Mail's Dakshana Bascaramurty wrote a "how to" on apologies, she interviewed I Was Wrong author Nick Smith. Nick Smith, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of New Hampshire and author of I Was Wrong, says the recent torrent of sex-scandal-related apologies from politicians has skewed our understanding of apology and forgiveness. “If apologies signify something like moral transformation, that usually takes time,” he says. “You’ve done something wrong and oftentimes you think it’s right and then you’re immediately supposed to do an about-face and go through this grave repentance.”
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What is it, you ask? It’s one of my personal favorites. It’s apologizing, but not really. In fact, it’s apologizing for someone else instead of for your own ridiculous behavior. “I’m sorry you feel that way.” (About my inability to hold a passing interest in our discussion) “I’m sorry that things just didn’t work out.” […]
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A great summary of some of my best argumentative skills. Nick Smith wants a better dialogue than this. Flash Fiction reviews I Was Wrong, and gets right at the issues at hand. “Alfred Kinsey’s work elevated the conversation about sex. Timothy Leary’s work elevated the conversation about drugs. Now, the philosopher Nick Smith gives us his thorough study […]
Read MoreNick Smith is professor of Philosophy at the University of New Hampshire with a particular interest in how apologies work. He’s also a former trial lawyer for a major New York law firm. What does this mean for us? An unusually close look at Spitzer’s oft-sound-bite-ed public apology for his involvement with a prostitution ring. […]
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