Name: The theory of moral sentiments
ISBN: 9781573928007

The theory of moral sentiments

The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith’s first and in his own mind most important work, outlines his view of proper conduct and the institutions and sentiments that make men virtuous. Here he develops his doctrine of the impartial spectator, whose hypothetical disinterested judgment we must use to distinguish right from wrong in any given situation. We by nature pursue our self-interest, according to Smith. This makes independence or self-command an instinctive good, and neutral rules as difficult to craft as they are necessary. But society is not held together merely by neutral rules; it is held together by sympathy. Smith argues that we naturally share the emotions and to a certain extent the physical sensations we witness in others. Sharing the sensations of our fellows, we seek to maximize their pleasures and minimize their pains so that we may share in their joys and enjoy their expressions of affection and approval. - Publisher.

What Hacker News says

panick21_Jan 2024

Nothing in the quote proves your actual argument.

What you said is:

> A core classic liberal belief, arguably the core belief, is that nothing should stand in the way of individuals being able to secure their own economic self-interest.

You literally said 'nothing'.

It is of course true that they believed that self-interested individuals seeking voluntary trade to improve their self interest within a legal framework would be beneficial for society.

Note how Adam Smith never says 'its amazing to steal as much money as possible because following your self interest is good for society'.

I suggest you read Adam Smiths actual work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments.

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godelskiSep 2023

[flagged]

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protomythMar 2022

Or you could read Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations yourself as it is available for free from multiple sources. You should his book The Theory of Moral Sentiments first. It helps with the understanding of the later material.

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sn41Mar 2022

If you want a completely underplayed side of Smith, you can also read "The theory of moral sentiments".

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defaultprimateFeb 2022

[flagged]

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allturtlesJun 2021

Have you read Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments? It applies the same kind of thinking found in Wealth of Nations (deriving systemic social principles from individual human motivations) to the moral sphere. He first introduced the phrase "invisible hand" in this, earlier book.

https://www.adamsmith.org/the-theory-of-moral-sentiments

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