Can non-theists appropriately feel existential gratitude?

Does it make sense for non-theists to feel gratitude for their existence? The question arises because gratitude is typically thought to be directed towards a person to whom one is grateful. Hence the theist may be grateful to God for their existence, experienced as a gift. But can the non-believer f...

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Publié dans:Religious studies
Auteur principal: Lacewing, Michael 1971- (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Cambridge Univ. Press [2016]
Dans: Religious studies
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés:B Théisme / Existence / Gratitude / Athéisme
RelBib Classification:AB Philosophie de la religion
Accès en ligne: Volltext (Verlag)
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Résumé:Does it make sense for non-theists to feel gratitude for their existence? The question arises because gratitude is typically thought to be directed towards a person to whom one is grateful. Hence the theist may be grateful to God for their existence, experienced as a gift. But can the non-believer feel something similar without being irrational? Can there be gratitude for existence but not to anyone? After analysing gratitude and how we can best understand the idea of non-directed gratitude, I discuss the conditions that need to apply for non-directed gratitude to be appropriate. I end by discussing whether theism provides a psychologically richer and more satisfying framework for understanding existential gratitude.
ISSN:1469-901X
Contient:Enthalten in: Religious studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0034412515000037