When you say 'I'm sorry,' do you actually mean it if you have no plans to change your behavior? That's the question raised by LessWrong contributor Zack Davis. He argues that genuine apologies must imply some shift in future conduct. His example: if you keep bumping into people while rushing and apologize each time without slowing down, your words ring hollow. There's another layer too: apologies are agreements between two people. You can't unilaterally declare a debt paid if the other person hasn't accepted your terms. If you've wronged someone and refuse to change course, you can't simply invoke your good intentions and call it even.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton