type 1: Silwa
Paulina Silwa in “The Power of Excuses” illustrates the moral aspect of making excuses. Whether we are late for work or forgot a friend’s birthday, everyone makes excuses for mistakes at some point. But Silwa asks the questions of “Where are these excuses not acceptable? What kind of excuses are made? and Why do we even make them?”She states on the first page of her work, “Making and accepting excuses is part of our practice of holding each other morally responsible” (p. 1). Our society is built around time, we meet people for lunch at a certain time, go to bed at a certain time, and create our own routines based on the time. When time becomes our enemy and mistakes happen, this is when people make excuses. Silwa has her own point of view on excuses, “ Contrary to received wisdom, I argue that excuses do not negate moral responsibility but modify the way in which an agent is morally responsible for her wrong” (p. 2). Each situation warrants a different excuse and some are more morally acceptable than others. Silwa explains these cases in her piece.
There has been significant amount of philosophical work completed around excuses and the general agreement is that, “Its central thought is that excuses negate wrongdoing: their function is to show that an agent has not violated her moral obligation” (p.6). Silwa thinks differently. She believes that “if an action is justified, it needs no excuse” (p. 7). Excuses are choices just like the mistake made. If you are asleep when a friend needs a ride home, you are justified and do not need an excuse Silwa believes. However, people still make excuses to prove they did nothing morally incorrect, “Excuses are considerations that show that the agent’s wrongdoing does not reflect her lack of a morally adequate present-directed intention.” (p. 9). It is considerate to explain to a friend that you did not ignore their text and merely were asleep. Silwa states that you did nothing morally wrong, however.
Silwa goes on in her piece to explain the Good Intention Account. The Good Intention Account, “ explains why one’s wrongdoing being unintentional can constitute an excuse” (p. 13). Even if one commits a mistake unintentionally, an excuse may be needed just to be considerate. But how will you know if the intentions were morally wrong? Silwa states, “We can evaluate intentions for moral adequacy by assessing them relative to a relevant moral goal — for example, the goal of doing the right thing or treating all persons with humanity” (p. 16). If you are overworked and snap at a co-worker due to your exhaustion, your coworkers does indeed deserve an excuse for your behavior, “The phenomenology of losing control of oneself — the experience of snapping at a colleague while overtired, or giving away a secret when put under intense pressure — is very different from that of giving in to the temptation of a second piece of cake.” (p.19). Each excuse made whether to yourself or to others is different and has its own intentions.
Silwa then goes on to define the different residues that occur from wrongdoing, this could be from yourself or others. She illustrates the two different types, “Psychological residue refers to the attitudes and feelings rendered apt by wrongdoing: these can include feelings of guilt, remorse, anguish, sorrow, and grief on the part of the wrongdoer and resentment, indignation, disappointment on the part of victims, and onlookers. Normative residue refers to the duties that one acquires as a result of having acted wrongly: to acknowledge what one has done, to apologize, to make amends, to explain oneself, to compensate.” (p. 28). These residues can affect wrongdoing and excuses as well. A person with psychological residue may feel the need to make excuses a lot when they are not needed. Each person has their own background that affects their own excuses and decision making Silwa believes.
Overall, excuses are made often for each person, but the intention and wrongdoing are different for each case. Silwa explains the need for excuses and how past life experiences can change a persons’ decisions. As long as you consider others feelings when making excuses, Silwa believes, you are always justified.
Bibliography:
Sliwa, Paulina. The Power of Excuses. 1 July 2019, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/papa.12139.
