Philosopher Vladimir Jankelevitch has only recently begun to receive his duefrom the Englishspeaking world thanks in part to discussions of his thoughtby Jacque... » 

Philosopher Vladimir Jankelevitch has only recently begun to receive his duefrom the Englishspeaking world thanks in part to discussions of his thoughtby Jacques Derrida Emmanuel Levinas and Paul Ricoeur. Yet Jankelevitch haslong been known internationally for his unique perspective that draws from arange of disciplines outside the philosophical canon.Originally published in 1967 Le Pardon or Forgiveness is one ofJankelevitchs most influential works. In it he characterizes the ultimateethical act of forgiving as behaving toward the perpetrator as if he or she hadnever committed the action rather than merely forgetting or rationalizing ita controversial notion when considering events as emotionally charged as theHolocaust.Like so many of Jankelevitchs works Forgiveness transcends standardtreatments of moral problems not simply generating a treatise on one subjectbut incorporating discussions of topics such as free will giving creativityand temporality. Translator Andrew Kelley here masterfully capturesJankelevitchs melodic prose and in a substantive introduction reviews hislife and intellectual contributions. Forgiveness is an essential part of thatlegacy and this longoverdue English translation will be an indispensableguide to understanding one of the great Western philosophers of the twentiethcentury. «