  There is a widely-held belief amongst theoreticians that the Gilbert damping
parameter {\alpha} in magnetization dynamics is infinite for a pure metal at
T=0. The basic error leading to this belief is pointed out explicitly and the
various methods of calculation used are viewed in a unified way based on the
Lorentzian lineshape of ferromagnetic resonance spectra. A general torque
formula for {\alpha} is proposed as a good starting-point for treating
inhomogeneous materials such as alloys, compounds and layered structures. Local
spin density functional theory provides a simple physical picture, in terms of
a non-uniform precessional cone angle in ferromagnetic resonance, of how such
inhomogeneity contributes to the damping. In a complementary many-body theory
this contribution is given by a vertex correction to the torque-torque response
function.
