Sympathizing with the enemy: A theory of political reconciliation (Adam Smith, South Africa)

This dissertation fills a serious gap in the philosophical literature on the difficult, politically important problems of transitional justice by providing a framework for understanding inter-group reconciliation. In chapter 1, I develop a conception of political reconciliation as a process combining the resolution of formal questions between parties (e.g. who has a right to what) with the inculcation of sympathetic dispositions, understanding sympathy (largely following Adam Smith) as the ability to view the world from another's perspective. In chapter 2, I argue that the promotion of sympathy (so understood) is both more useful and more realistic than that of dispositions suggested by competing theories, such as forgiveness, recognition, and forgetfulness. In chapter 3, I examine the conditions under which such sympathy is possible between adversaries; I argue that it requires one's acquisition of detailed knowledge about the other's life, and that the willingness to do so depends on (something like) political generosity. The last chapter applies this theory of political reconciliation to a central controversy in the field of transitional justice---the legitimacy of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). After critically examining received justifications of the TRC, I offer one based on the theory that is developed in this dissertation: the TRC is justified because it is capable of promoting sympathy between former enemies, and thus their reconciliation. In providing detailed accounts of life under apartheid and creating an atmosphere of political generosity, the TRC promoted both conditions for the inculcation of sympathetic attitudes. I hope, finally, to have established that this theory is politically useful as well as philosophically defensible; that understanding political reconciliation can help us practically to address some of the most perplexing issues in transitional settings.