A latter-day humanist in the tradition of Montaigne, the essays of the French-Jewish philosopher Vladimir Jankélévitch display a delicacy of insight and a depth of feeling as applied to the broadest range of themes—music, laughter, nostalgia, evil, irony and death. In this volume, a distinguished group of philosophers and historians turn their attention to the essay on forgiveness for which Jankélévitch is best known. Cast into high relief by the horrors of mid-twentieth century European history, the questions raised herein retain a moral urgency undiminished by time and no less of relevance today.