Drawing on Smith’s “Theory of Moral Sentiments”, explain how ‘it happens that man, who is a creature of self-interest, can form moral judgements’? Discuss how our moral sentiments are acquired and developed over time.
Description
No introduction or conclusion. This is the body of the essay. Use the powerpoint attached for relevant information. Sources must include Adam Smith and Paul Zak (both listed in the powerpoint). Harvard Style referencing.
Notes on the topic:
Market Morality and Its Limits SMITH:
• For Smith, our moral sentiments are acquired and developed over time.
• We don’t possess God-given moral sense, we also don’t really on our ability to reason.
• To explain how morals work, Smith draws on the idea of sympathy (we now call it empathy). Sympathy works in two ways – through contagion and projection.
• Smith regards sympathy is a starting point of moral judgment.
• Merit and demerit
• Propriety and impropriety
• For Smith, we assess the motive of an action through a direct sympathy with the affections and motives of the person who acts; we judge the merit of that action through ‘an indirect sympathy’. Morality, says Smith, is not something we have to calculate. It is natural, it is built into us as social beings. When we see people happy or sad, we feel happy or sad too. We derive pleasure when people do things we approve of, and distress when we believe they are doing harm.
