Healing the (W)hole: The Place of Apology in the Redress of Injury with Lee Taft, J.D., M.Div.

Events

Concept

The redress of wrong is a perennial and fertile topic for academic pursuit whether in psychology, international relations, philosophy, ethics, literature, policy studies, or the arts. However, despite this interest in the amelioration of harm, there is a general reticence in scholarship and politics about apology. Why is apology so scarce?

This reticence is, in part, derivative of legal constructs where apology is considered synonymous with a statement of guilt. In this mode of thought, the legal system commodifies wrong, and a statement of guilt requires that the wrongdoer pay the injured party. Yet this system of recompense rarely brings closure or healing and seems to engender more litigation.

The question of whether healing and wrongdoing can be constructively linked remains. Social and political examinations seem to mirror the legal system and fail as well.

Lee Taft, J.D., M.Div., proposes a fresh address to this conundrum by conceptualizing apology as a primary vehicle by which to ameliorate wrong; he conceptualizes apology as a way to heal the whole.

The Brown University community is invited to hear this ground-breaking work.

Narrative Biography

Lee Taft, a lawyer and ethicist, is becoming one of the emerging national voices on the place of apology and its role in the process of repentance both personal and societal. During his long career as a trial lawyer in Dallas, Mr. Taft became progressively more directed to the work of civil liberties. He took a sabbatical from his legal career to complete a degree at Harvard Divinity School, including a year of field placement in the Brown University Chaplaincy. His master's essay, advised by Martha Minow of Harvard Law School, examined the role of apology and was published by the YALE LAW JOURNAL in 2000. After a year as Dean of Students at Harvard Divinity School he returned to Dallas.

In Dallas, Taft's legal consulting practice offers ethical perspectives for the structuring of response to allegations of wrong-doing. He works with clients to explore opportunities afforded by crisis to create litigation strategies predicated on remorse, mediation, and the provision of apology.

A recent essay on the potential for apology to ameliorate medical error was published in January 2005 by Loyola University's ANNALS OF HEALTH LAW. Later this month, Taft's essay critiquing the utilitarian use of apology will appear in the MICHIGAN LAW REVIEW. Recent speaking engagements include the Betty Ford Center, Stanford Law School, and Children's Medical Center in Dallas.

Small Seminar Details

A small and intellectually diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of disciplines and perspectives will be convened to discuss the place and potential of apology. We encourage participation from all whose interests or work intersects with the issues of personal or societal misconduct- places where apology and restorative justice warrant interrogation.

Contact Information

Contact the Chaplains Office at Brown University, (401) 863-2344 or Mark_Severs@brown.edu