Anger and Forgiveness
What: A Curious Soul Philosophy workshop
Where: Online via Zoom
When: 3 Saturdays, new dates TBA
What Time: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Workshop Description:
Anger has taken over the spirit of our times. We face such intense polarization over racial injustice, environmental concerns, immigration, the global pandemic, and even the question of how to distinguish between truth and lies, that it seems impossible to find common ground. Our world looks like it is about to erupt, and we feel the growing tension and rage on both a political and personal level. Friendships and families are breaking up over what feel like irreparable moral divisions. Fury and distrust fill the news, social media, and the streets. We’re left wondering how we can possibly move forward toward productive problem solving.
Martha Nussbaum, in her book Anger and Forgiveness: Resentment, Generosity, Justice (2016), questions the cultural belief that anger is a righteous, necessary, and powerful tool for fighting injustice. She talks us through some errors in judgment wrapped up in the anger paradigm (namely, a “payback” mentality) and turns to three examples of effective commitment to non-anger in Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela. She also considers the concept of forgiveness as an alternative to anger, but she finds in traditional forgiveness another version of the payback mentality that worries her. Concerned with how we can move toward future-oriented collaborative problem solving, she carefully distinguishes between forms of anger and forgiveness that are counterproductive and those that might have a transforming effect.
In this workshop, we’ll read and discuss selections from Nussbaum’s book, paired with Audre Lorde’s speech “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism” and Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. We’ll think about the uses and abuses of anger and forgiveness in our world and consider how we can transform toxic forms of anger in our own lives into productive action for the future.
About Philosophy Workshops
Philosophy Workshops emphasize discussion, life experience, and practical application. They are led by philosophy professors committed to accessible language and open conversation. No prior philosophical training is necessary . . . just an open mind, a respectful approach to others, and a sense of humor!
About Your Workshop Leader:
Monica Vilhauer, Ph.D. is a former professor of philosophy and the founder of Curious Soul Philosophy. She’s committed to the practical value of philosophy for everyday life, and she’s always looking for ways to move philosophy beyond academic settings and into the community. She does this by offering workshops, retreats, and individual philosophical counseling through Curious Soul.
The Theory and the Lab:
There are two portions of this discussion-based workshop: 1) the Theory, and 2) the Lab.
In the Theory portion of the workshop (the first half of each session) we’ll work to understand key concepts from our reading for the day and from supplementary mini-lectures given by the workshop leader. In the Lab portion of the workshop (the second half) we will reflect on the ways in which the theory applies to our own personal and political struggles. We will devise “experiments” for putting key concepts into practice in our lives, and we will discuss with each other how our experiments work out.
Readings:
Readings will be emailed to registrants as pdf files at least a week in advance of our discussion.
Preparation:
For each meeting, participants should read in advance the selection of text we’ll be discussing, consider some questions Monica will send by email to help us focus, and come with some marked passages to talk about.
Cost per person: $175 (for three 2-hour philosophy sessions)
- The workshop has limited space. Register today to save yourself a spot!
- Deadline to register: TBA
- Register by clicking the button below and following instructions to use PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account, PayPal still allows you to pay using a credit card.
Registration is now closed.