Gratuitousness

This chapter proposes the idea of gratuitousness, i.e., a sincere concern for the good of others, as a pillar for the age of sustainable development. First, it analyzes the Greek notion of virtue, mainly focusing on Aristotle’s doctrine. Second, it presents reasonable pluralism, i.e., the many ethical, religious, and political precepts sustained by people in liberal societies, as a candidate objection to contemporary society’s revival of virtue ethics. Third, it shows evidence from time use data that gratuitousness is a widespread experience in people’s lives. Fourth, it estimates the economic value of some gratuitous acts (caring for grandchildren) in a case study from Italy.