Transgression: The Problem of Moral Retribution

The article is devoted to the types of moral retribution that a person receives in response to the transgression he has committed – the crossing of cultural and moral boundaries. According to the author, retribution (retribution) is a kind of response from the world to our actions, it operates in the area of human relations, and is not limited to the idea of the intervention of higher powers. Retribution can be expressed in the form of punishments and rewards coming from society and culture. However, since a person has consciousness, punishments (as well as rewards) can come from his inner world, which is closely connected with the assessment and opinion of other people. Thus, one of the types of moral retribution is shame, which is nothing more than the fear of condemnation by others of that transgressive act that violated public order. Another, deeper type of moral retribution is the pangs of conscience associated with a sense of guilt for the committed violation of the boundaries of morality and cultural prohibitions. The pangs of conscience are retribution beyond the legal sphere and, in general, the opinions of others. The author believes that someone who sincerely regrets his moral blunder is able to never return to the "forbidden transgression", will no longer behave aggressively, and will refuse to violate the moral norms of culture. At the same time, the article records the possibility of, on the one hand, the phenomena of shamelessness and lack of conscience, and on the other – forms of false, imitative shame and remorse that exist for show, without experiencing real "inner retribution". Summing up the article, the author turns to the paradoxical plot of self-forgiveness, which can reduce the negative intensity of internal punishment.