ONLINE FIRST
published on May 11, 2022
R. James Lisowski
https://doi.org/10.5840/acpq2022510254
To Pardon what Conscience Dreads
Revisiting Max Scheler¡¯s Phenomenology of Repentance
This article will examine the religious phenomenology of Max Scheler as it is found in his essay on repentance. In outlining Scheler¡¯s understanding of repentance, I shall note his attempt at defining the phenomenon, as well as the presuppositions to and outcomes of this religious act. With this foundation laid, I shall then offer two critiques. First, Scheler¡¯s rendering of repentance limps in not accounting for the cyclical and repeatable nature of repentance, to which human experience and Scheler¡¯s own broader philosophy attest. Second, Scheler¡¯s essay does not consider the role of other persons both in leading one to repentance and in completing the process. As with the first critique, both human experience and Scheler¡¯s own personalist philosophy testify to the necessary role of other persons. These lacunae detract from the otherwise rich phenomenological account.