On the Importance of Gratitude for Humanistic Education in the Anthropocene

The present ecological crises that mark the Anthropocene make it clear that our exploitative way of relating to the world undermines the potential of humans and many other beings to flourish on Earth. Therefore, education should be concerned with fostering awareness and understanding of the value and vulnerability of (the conditions for life on) our planet, and our dependency in relation to this good. Gratitude experiences are characterized by and can contribute to such forms of awareness, types of understanding, and corresponding motivations to cherish certain goods. Moreover, experiences of existential gratitude can enrich our relationships with the natural world – focusing, beyond instrumental benefits, on our interconnectedness with its intrinsically valuable entities. Such experiences can provide us with meaning by deepening our sense of identity, and by infusing our lives with a sense of moral responsibility to care for the ecosystems we are part of. Thus, gratitude not only has the potential to enhance flourishing, but may also influence how we approach the ontological-ethical question of what it means to be and flourish as a human being. However, there seems to be a tension between existential gratitude and central elements of the modern western worldview that appear to bear the mark of humanism. We discuss how humanism can disentangle itself from this problematic worldview, and explore how wonder and awe can help to foster existential gratitude within the framework of humanistic education.