Perspectives on Gratitude ─ An Interdisciplinary Approach

It is reasonable to suppose that gratitude is an attitude, response or virtue of considerable moral, spiritual, social, political and educational significance. In this regard, it has recently attracted the interest and attention of philosophers, social scientists, theologians and educationalists bent on exploring diverse conceptual, moral, psychological and pedagogical aspects of gratitude in an impressive and rapidly growing academic and popular literature. Drawing on this range of disciplines,Gratitude covers groundbreaking perspectives on gratitude for an interdisciplinary audience.

With contributions from experts in the field, chapters in this volume explore the received usage of gratitude. With discussions about distinctions between triadic (benefactored) and dyadic (or non-benefactored) gratitude; between gratitude as obligation and gratitude as a virtue; and between gratitude to people and gratitude to or for things, the volume also raises interesting questions about whether it is proper to feel grateful to those who have acted to one’s benefit only from a sense of duty, and whether it makes sense to feel gratitude to those who have actually harmed one. On the other hand, consideration is also given to the personal psychological benefits of grateful attitudes and sentiments, as well as the positive social effects of public acts and expressions of gratitude. The spiritual dimension of gratitude is also considered within the volume.

By drawing together serious academic engagement with the study of gratitude and a serious attempt to undertake this within an interdisciplinary perspective, Gratitudewill be of value to academics and graduate students in the fields of philosophy, psychology and theology, as well as other research-based disciplines.

David Carr is Professor of Ethics and Education at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, UK.