Abstract

Gift and gratitude are examined as moral realities and are found to play a variety of roles in the moral life and in moral discourse. Some of these have to do with obligations arising from the gift relation while others stand in some tension with the idea of obligation. The relation between these two kinds of elements is explored. Gift and gratitude are also examined in relation to moral agenthood. The analysis is then tested for its usefulness in relation to some problematic gifts cited in Christian ethics. Finally, some normative implications of the analysis are briefly suggested.