Smith Text 1

Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments (Excerpt)

• Original Work: "The Theory of Moral Sentiments", 1869 edition, edited by Joseph Black and James Hutton, London: Alex Murray & Son. (Excerpt)

• Sympathy: Human beings are inherently interested in the fortunes of others. Compassion, or pity, arises from experiencing the misery of others, even in those considered as villains/criminals.

• Imagination's Role: We comprehend others' feelings through empathy. We imaginatively put ourselves into another's situation, thus experiencing their suffering (or joy).

• Emotion & Conception: The strength of our conception of another's situation determines the intensity of our emotional response. A vivid imagination creates a stronger empathetic response.

• Examples of Sympathy: Seeing an injury or watching a performer on a tightrope evoke automatic empathetic responses. Observing suffering in others creates empathy for their plight. Witnessing another's grief, even if for a cause irrelevant to the observer, produces empathy.

• Grief and Joy: Our sympathy extends to others' joy as much as their sadness. We share in their gratitude, resentment, and other passions.

• Expressions and Judgement: Observing emotional expressions in others (e.g., smiling or weeping) automatically triggers a similar emotional response in the observer. We judge the propriety of others' emotions by comparing them to our own, determining if the intensity of their emotion aligns with our understanding of the situation.

• Judging Others' Passions: We use our own emotional responses as a standard to evaluate the appropriateness of others' feelings and actions. An excess or deficiency in an emotion, relative to the perceived cause, could lead to judgment. Excessive expressions of anger or joy can be seen as inappropriate.

• External Factors and Sympathy: Sympathy arises from recognizing the situation causing the pain or joy, rather than just the expression itself. We need contextual information, before sympathetic response is strong.

• Sympathy and Self-Interest: Though sympathy has an element of shared suffering, the immediate trigger of seeing a person experiencing distress is not just a selfish concern for self-preservation.

Dieses Quiz befasst sich mit Adam Smiths Werk Theorie der moralischen Empfindungen, in dem die Rolle von Mitgefühl und Vorstellungskraft in zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen untersucht wird. Es wird erklärt, wie unsere Emotionen durch die Fähigkeit beeinflusst werden, die Situationen anderer zu imaginieren und zu verstehen. Testen Sie Ihr Wissen über Empathie und emotionale Reaktionen!