Abstract
Getting people not to harm others is a central goal of morality. But while it is commonly perceived that those who benefit others merit gratitude, those who do not harm others are not ordinarily thought to merit anything. I attempt to argue against this, claiming that all the arguments against gratitude to the non-maleficent are unsuccessful. Finally, I explore the difference it would make if we thought that we owe gratitude to those who do not harm us.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 585-597 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Philosophy and Phenomenological Research |
Volume | 57 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1997 |
Keywords
- Beneficence
- Children
- Common sense
- Debt
- Intuition
- Morality
- Phenomenology
- Respect
- Social interaction
- Temptation