An Interpretation of Paul Ricoeur’s “Difficult Forgiveness” Starting from the Dialectic between Agape and Justice

Abstract

This work proposes our interpretation of Paul Ricoeur’s category “difficult forgiveness”, exposed in Memory, History, Oblivion. Our argumentation is rooted in the dialectic between love (agape) and justice, exposed by Ricoeur at different moments throughout his philosophical works. We take up, especially, the reflection present in Love and Justice about this dialectic. We maintain that such an interpretation is consistent with a comprehensive understanding of the scope and limits of forgiveness in that work and in Ricoeur’s philosophy in general. Our main objective is to show that forgiveness must be understood from its relationship with justice, allowing us to reject the readings that place it as an enabler or guarantor of impunity and injustice.