Generous Being: The Environmental-Ethical Relevance of Ontological Gratitude

Due to its ethical, motivational and volitional aspects, the notion of transpersonal gratitude presents an interesting perspective on the value-action gap, which remains a continuing challenge for a performative environmental ethics. Ontological gratitude moreover is found to form a part of very different outlooks on the world, whether religious-spiritual, agnostic or atheist. In this article, results from recent empirical psychological studies are brought into dialogue with philosophical-ethical reflection on gratitude, in particular with William Desmond’s “ethics of generosity.” Suggesting a transformative dynamics that involves humility, gratitude, and generosity, it could assist in understanding what drives certain people towards more sustained pro-environmental behavior.