Gratitude, self-Interest, and love
Date
2014
Authors
Berkovski, Y. S.
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Source Title
Philosophia (United States)
Print ISSN
0048-3893
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Publisher
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Volume
42
Issue
3
Pages
645 - 664
Language
English
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Journal Title
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Abstract
Gratitude is usually conceived as a uniquely appropriate response to goodwill. A grateful person is bound to reward an act of goodwill in some appropriately proportionate way. I argue that goodwill, when interpreted as love, should require no reward. Consequently, the idea of gratitude as a proportionate response to love is not intelligible. However, goodwill can also be understood merely as a disinterested concern. Such forms of goodwill are involved in reciprocal relationships. But gratitude has no place in these relationships either.