On Gratitude by Baruch Spinoza
On Gratitude examines favor, gratitude, and ingratitude as dispositions concerning the good done to others. Favor is the soul’s inclination to wish good for a neighbor who has previously done good, while gratitude is the inclination to do good in return for a benefit one has received. Though most people regard favor and gratitude as good, the work argues that they do not belong to a perfect man. Such a person helps others solely from necessity and duty, not because of benefits received. Indeed, he is especially bound to aid the most godless, whose need and misery are greatest. Ingratitude is defined as the rejection or disregard of gratitude, comparable to shamelessness as a rejection of shame. It arises without rational cause, instead proceeding from greed or excessive self-love, and therefore also has no place in a perfect man.
By Baruch Spinoza · First published 1660 · Genre: Philosophy, Ethics, Moral Philosophy · 219 words
First lines
Now follows [the consideration] of favor, gratitude, and ingratitude. As regards the first two, they are the inclinations which the soul has to wish and to do some good to one's neighbor. I say, to wish, [this happens] when good is returned to one who has done some good; I say, to do, [this is the case] when we ourselves have obtained or received some good.
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On Gratitude is listed on Textopian as an essay by Baruch Spinoza, dated 1660 CE.
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- Work type: Essay
- Author: Baruch Spinoza
- Date: 1660 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Philosophy, Ethics, Moral Philosophy, Rationalist Philosophy, Psychology
- Length: 219 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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- Work identity for On Gratitude by Baruch Spinoza
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Genres
- Philosophy — The work is a concise philosophical examination of favor, gratitude, and ingratitude, defining these affects and judging them according to Spinoza's ethical system.
- Ethics — Its central concern is moral conduct: helping others, returning benefits, the nature of duty, self-love, greed, and the ideal of the perfect person.
- Moral Philosophy — The passage evaluates commonly approved virtues and vices through rational standards rather than custom, religious sentiment, or narrative example.
- Rationalist Philosophy — Its arguments rely on necessity, reason, and a systematic conception of human perfection, all characteristic of Spinoza's rationalist method.
Tags
philosophy · ethics · gratitude · human emotions · reason · virtue · morality · self-interest · reciprocity · generosity · friendship · freedom