Abstract
Atonement involves a response to wrongdoing performed by, or at least with the participation of, a wrongdoer with the aim of correcting the wrong and reconciling the wrongdoer to the victim, the community, or God. Etymologically, the term comes from “at‐one‐ment,” and in earlier usages was equivalent to “reconciliation.” However, it more commonly refers to actions and attitudes of the wrongdoer that bring about reconciliation. The concept of atonement is deeply rooted in theological contexts, where differing views about the means to salvation have been central to major debates within Western religions. In secular moral philosophy, the term “atonement” is used more rarely. However, the category of a wrongdoer's corrective response to their own misdeeds is essential to a thorough philosophical account of what morality requires in the aftermath of wrongdoing. Atonement is part of a family of concepts that articulate what is involved in being morally responsible for one's actions. To be culpable for wrongdoing is to be subject to a host of negative responses from one's victim, one's community, and one's self. Atonement is a means by which such negative consequences can be ameliorated or avoided.