“Above the Sceptred Sway”: Retrieving the Quality of Mercy
Mercy is often thought to be a praiseworthy moral virtue. However, the quality of mercy has been thrown into doubt. Since to be merciful is to be lenient to a wrongdoer beyond the dictates of justice, it seems as if mercy cannot be a praiseworthy virtue. I argue that several recent attempts to reco...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Crítica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://critica.filosoficas.unam.mx/index.php/critica/article/view/1007 |
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| Summary: | Mercy is often thought to be a praiseworthy moral virtue. However, the quality of mercy has been thrown into doubt. Since to be merciful is to be lenient to a wrongdoer beyond the dictates of justice, it seems as if mercy cannot be a praiseworthy virtue. I argue that several recent attempts to reconcile mercy with justice fail, and that the subsequent endeavour to resurrect mercy as a praiseworthy moral virtue is doubtful. However, I also show how the praiseworthy quality of mercy can be retrieved, if we carefully reconstruct the moral case in its favour outside the law.
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| ISSN: | 0011-1503 1870-4905 |