Forgiveness in a vengeful age
I think, generally speaking, society&#x27;s morals have improved over the ages (glossing over the whole &quot;what is morality?&quot; debate — but you get the gist of what I&#x27;m trying to say).  There&#x27;s a theory known as <i>collective rationality</i> which posits that, as individuals, we are highly irrational beings, but as a holistic group, we eventually arrive at the most rational conclusion to an issue (even if it takes a very long time).<p>Collective rationality explains why we no longer have slavery, public executions, torture, etc.  Women&#x27;s rights and minority rights aren&#x27;t quite where they should be yet, but the situation is certainly a lot better than it was a century ago.<p>I&#x27;ve tried to imagine how society will be different in the far future, and my best guess is that <i>forgiveness</i> will be of tantamount importance to society.  The whole notion of &quot;getting revenge&quot; will be considered an ancient and barbaric concept, along with the whole prison system (punishment vs rehabilitation).  The death penalty will almost certainly be gone.  I think crime will be considered more of a mental illness or a physical brain defect that can be fixed rather than something that makes someone inherently evil (if someone is born with a damaged amygdala, is it really their fault that they turn out to be a sociopath?).  I also think a lot of things that are currently considered taboo will no longer be considered as such, barring anything that brings harm to others.