Reconciliation

Sunday, February 18, 2007
First Aired:
Tuesday, October 11, 2005

What Is It

Justice, truth, and identity; race, society, and law—these all come into dramatic play as South Africa makes the tumultuous transition to a post-apartheid democracy. How has the new South Africa constructed its concepts of reconciliation? How has its historical emergence meant a rethinking, reimaging, re-experiencing, relabeling, and repoliticizing of race? John and Ken discuss reconciliation with Daniel Herwitz, a philosopher who has spent much time in South Africa.

Listening Notes

Ken asks "Are justice and reconciliation reconcilable?" Reconciliation in this context means the coexistence of two groups of people in harmony against a past when one group oppressed the other. They may not be best friends after what happened but they should still be able to live together. After the fall of apartheid, South Africa is a prominent example for the process of reconciliation.

Ken介绍了密歇根大学人文学科教授Daniel Herwitz。丹尼尔·赫维茨在获得博士学位后,曾在南非担任哲学教授。赫维茨认为,和解的整个理念是基督教的理念。基督教的和解包括接受三位一体(上帝、耶稣和圣灵)为一。Ken指出在和解的过程中也存在着三位一体:真理、大赦和和解。丹尼尔·赫维茨解释说,完全仁慈的真相委员会(比如智利的委员会)不会导致人们之间的和解,因为他们缺乏力量。人们不把这些当回事。另一方面,如果真相委托只是惩罚,那么也不会产生和解,因为没有强调和谐、宽恕、共存。用赫维茨的话来说,英国国教主教图图“充满了他那闪闪发光的热情”,他对南非的和解产生了影响。在南非,为了获得大赦,一个人需要充分披露他或她的罪行,并成功地证明他或她所做的是为政治目的服务。约翰指出政治目的不需要被证明是正当的。

Hegel's ideas serve as a metaphor for South African reconciliation and buttress its plausibility. Hegelian dialectic is the idea that progress is achieved by the synthesis of opposing ideas. According to Hegelian dialectic, there is a subtle relationship between the dominator and the dominated. For instance, the master(the dominator) and slave (the dominated) both realize that the master depends on the slave. This undermines the master's role as the dominator and gives slave some power over the master.

和解不仅有利于南非,也有利于世界各地的许多团体,如穆斯林和基督徒、日本和中国、土著居民和澳大利亚人。南非和解是对所有冲突集团联合的一种鼓励。Ken指出,在所有的和解过程中(如二战后德国和日本的和解)都有一个公民社会。在伊拉克,局势每况愈下,库尔德人、逊尼派和什叶派之间的和解没有秩序。赫维茨指出,外国势力的介入使和解过程变得可怕,从那时起,和解就围绕着外国占领者的力量展开。

  • (4:11-7:54)Roving Philosophical Reporter Amy Standen采访了南非和解协会主任帕特·克拉克。
  • (49:53-52:00)The 60-second philosopher Ian Shaolesexplores the philosophy behind reconciliation and personal forgiveness.

Transcript