To Live Gratefully: The Grateful Response to the Gift of Life (thesis)

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Author
Brown, William C.
Subject
Washington and Lee University -- Honors in Philosophy
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, approximately 4 B.C.-65 A.D.
Gratitude
Philosophy
Conduct of life
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Thesis; [FULL-TEXT FREELY AVAILABLE ONLINE] William C. Brown is a member of the Class of 2016 of Washington and Lee University. To evaluate the proper response to receiving the gift of life, we must ask what constitutes proper gratitude. I claim that there are two fundamental parts to gratitude: the mental state and the return. While this return can certainly be a benefit of the same kind (e.g. saving one's savior's life), few have the opportunity to respond in such a manner. So, for the rest of us, I argue that we should pay back these benefits by cultivating our virtues, thereby creating a relationship of beneficence and personal improvement between the giver and receiver. [From introductory section]