Abstract

In this book, Taline Artinian takes a critical look at the existing discussion on dyadic forms of gratitude, from propositional to non-directed, and develops the concept of transpersonal gratitude, which captures the experience of thankfulness for a personally significant good in the absence of a benefactor. The concept of gratitude in philosophy has historically been centred around a triadic experience of gift, giver, and receiver, and it is only in the last two decades that a dyadic conceptualisation has begun to develop. Artinian focuses on the phenomenology and the ethical significance of transpersonal gratitude, to argue that this experience goes beyond mere appreciation or gladness and that its conceptualisation offers a framework for the understanding of gratitude as a virtue. This book also examines transpersonal gratitude as an experience and disposition that shape our engagement with others and with the world at large. By situating it in relation to empathy, humility, and the fostering of a sense of connectedness, it argues for the role of transpersonal gratitude as a key component of the morally good and flourishing life.