Guilt: the bite of conscience

"Guilt: The Bite of Conscience is the first book to study guilt from a wide variety of perspectives including those of psychology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, evolutionary psychology, anthropology, six major religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism), four key moral philosophers (Aristotle, Kant, John Stuart Mill, and Nietzsche), and the law. Katchadourian first explores the ways in which guilt functions within individual lives and intimate relationships, looking at behaviors that typically induce guilt in both historical and modern contexts. He then turns to the way the capacity for moral judgments develops within the individual lives and through evolutionary processes, taking up both normal and pathological (whether excessive or inadequate) manifestations of guilt." "The book also treats the socio-cultural aspects of guilt. In what ways does religion deal with guilt? How do the major religious traditions differ in their conceptions of it? Secular alternatives in dealing with guilt are considered in light of moral philosophies that have exerted the most influence in Western cultures. Finally, Katchadourian addresses the ways in which society attempts to come to turns with guilt as culpability through the legal process."--BOOK JACKET.

Gift from Jean and Frances Jones to the Key to the Future Campaign, 2009.

Guilt and its neighbors -- Commandments and sins -- Guilt and relationships -- Guilt without transgression -- The pathology of guilt -- The development of moral judgment -- The evolution of guilt -- Guilt in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- Guilt in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism -- Guilt in the light of reason -- Guilt in the courtroom.