Adam Smith: Sympathy

Describe the dynamic nature of sympathy

- spectator must work hard to sympathize with the agent when sentiments do not correspond between himself and the agent. - If he does not initially sympathize he works at ironing out differences. The spectator attempts to change his perspective and feelings

Explain self deceit

-Mankind are partial in viewing propriety of their conduct both before acting and after acting. -This self-deceit, this fatal weakness of mankind, is the source of half disorders of human life.

Explain conscience

-The cumulative results of the interaction between spectator and agent, create an internalized aggregate -the way we approve or disapprove of ourselves based on the judgments of the impartial spectator. -Smith viewed that "the all-wise Author of Nature" appointed man to judge others, it is ultimately man's own conscience who is the judge.

Explain Smith's view of morality

-created through interactions between people that condition a consensual set of behaviors and norms. -it is Nature that teaches spectators and actors to reach harmony. -The moral world then strives to be a harmonious world, where concordance of sentiments leads to consensus

Define divided sympathy

-impartial spectator is observing -impartial spectator may be divided between the person feeling angry and the person being yelled at -understanding the situation of why the person is being angry, and the hurt of the person towards which the anger is being directed

Why is imagination important?

-our knowledge is limited by our experiences. -emphasizes entering into another's situation, not simply entering feelings of the other. -engender both cognitive and emotional experiences

What is self command

-passions of the agent might be too low or too high for the spectator to sympathize: -important in keeping a moral system. -Smith argues for the role of nature in reaching a concord of sentiments.

Describe the sympathetic process

-spectator puts himself in the agent's situation by imagination -spectator forms some idea of the agent's sensations, sentiments, passions, even feels not unlike him -feels something similar, if not weaker -imagines what the agent is feeling, and puts himself in the other person's shoes too. need both components -moral world is created through this process

Why does the agent work harder than the spectator to gain sympathy?

1)The agent has more invested in the situation, thus has more at stake than the spectator. 2) While the spectator's emotions are imaginary, the actor's emotions are related to the real situation. 3) The agent also wants to avoid the pain of solitude. 4) Yearning for approbation, mutual sympathy.

Define visceral reaction

A physical reaction ex: witness someone getting hit by a car, flinch

How does the sympathetic process lead to morality?

Both try to adjust themselves to reach concordance of sentiments

What is the root of sympathy?

Imagination

How is the sympathetic process intersubjective?

Mutual recognition: recognition of each other Mutual influence: they adjust their sentiments Shared meaning: morality

Where do we have a moral self?

Only in a human society

Who is the impartial spectator?

The impartial judge who decides whether aprobation is due

How does the impartial spectator becomes impartial?

The impartial spectator imagines that he, too, is spectated by another impartial spectator.

What does it mean to take in the totality of the agent?

by considering the agent's feelings, motives and actions as well as how others are affected by that action and their feelings

Define sympathy

concordance/correspondence of feelings -if there is no concordance, there is no sympathy -fellow feeling of passions (not just sadness, can be happiness) -both want sympathy, both work to have sympathy

What role does the deity play in the system?

impartial spectator is representative of the deity

What is the remedy to this self deceit?

we observe how others act, insensibly leading us to form to ourselves certain general rules concerning what is fit and proper either to be done or to be avoided. -all such actions are to be avoided, as tending to render us odious, contemptible, or punishable, the objects of all those sentiments for which we have the greatest dread and aversion.