The ideological location of the apology

This article locates the apology within three of the major political traditions of Western political thought, namely conservatism, liberalism and socialism. While acknowledging internal differences within these traditions, it is maintained that the apology is largely incompatible with many of the tenets of liberalism and socialism and is more compatible with those of conservatism. However, in the sphere of practical politics it is groups and individuals from a broadly liberal and left tradition which tend to support both the idea and the practice of apology and conservatives which tend to oppose them, and this article attempts to address and explain this seeming paradox.