PROTO-ALTRUISTIC DISCOURSE IN ADAM SMITH’S MORAL PHILOSOPHY: AN APPROACH IN CONTEXT

Adam Smith was one of the pioneers of early sociology in the 18th century. This study suggests that his work contained elements of proto-altruism, a discourse of beneficence lying between two fundamental questions of human conduct: what drives humans towards action and what ought to drive humans towards action. Smith’s excessively eclectic writing led him to ambiguities that, however controlled, needed closer deliberation from Smith’s reader and had allowed for impressively divergent interpretations in past scholarship. A student of ancient classical literature, Smith embraced the progressivism of the Scottish moderates, who were closer to the heterodox Presbyterians in the Kirk of Scotland and developed a comprehensible and systematic social theory. This theory assumes three elements that this thesis considers as proto-altruism. 1. Sympathy is the empathetic disposition all humans share to inextricably connect and create vicarious experiences. Smithian sympathy glues society...Show moreAdam Smith was one of the pioneers of early sociology in the 18th century. This study suggests that his work contained elements of proto-altruism, a discourse of beneficence lying between two fundamental questions of human conduct: what drives humans towards action and what ought to drive humans towards action. Smith’s excessively eclectic writing led him to ambiguities that, however controlled, needed closer deliberation from Smith’s reader and had allowed for impressively divergent interpretations in past scholarship. A student of ancient classical literature, Smith embraced the progressivism of the Scottish moderates, who were closer to the heterodox Presbyterians in the Kirk of Scotland and developed a comprehensible and systematic social theory. This theory assumes three elements that this thesis considers as proto-altruism. 1. Sympathy is the empathetic disposition all humans share to inextricably connect and create vicarious experiences. Smithian sympathy glues society together and serves as the bedrock of morality. 2. Benevolence is a cardinal virtue insofar as the most brilliant and praiseworthy people seek their self-fulfilment in exerting good towards the people whom they deem attainable. 3. A plea for universal welfare as Smith’s social project was in service of social change and the betterment of humanity. Contextual considerations regarding his contested religiosity demonstrate how Smith's contribution to the theory of altruism lies in his secularising account of benevolence. His ideas played a primary role in the gradual shift from a religious metaphysical imperative to an empirical understanding of the psychology of sociability. Equally, his stance on ethical altruism implied an interest that influenced the normative character of political economy.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

PROTO-ALTRUISTIC DISCOURSE IN ADAM SMITH’S MORAL PHILOSOPHY: AN APPROACH IN CONTEXT