Try guilt instead of shame, Ms. Nussbaum suggests, since guilt focuses on the act committed. But guilt, or at least the feeling of guilt, has its doubters as well. A confession may be self-destructive, as the Talmud suggests. And as Freud speculates, guilt may even cause crime in order to bring on punishment. To confuse matters more, we live in a culture of confession.
People confess their affairs on television for publicity.
They confess in church for absolution. And they confess on the couch to feel better. In such a culture, confession cannot be trusted as evidence of real guilt. There are a million different passions.