The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Japanese: 道徳感情論 - どうとくかんじょうろん（英語表記）The Theory of Moral Sentiments

This is A. Smith's first work, published at the age of 36 when he was a professor of moral philosophy at the University of Glasgow. It was published in 1759. It is also called "The Treatise of Moral Sentiments." It deals with emotions and tendencies that arise in human psychology through social interactions between humans, and discusses moral propriety, the sense of merit and guilt, the judgement of approval and disapproval, the sense of duty, and virtuous character. It then considers the problem of how various emotions affect an individual and make him a member of a harmonious social group. In doing so, it introduces the concept of "spectators," explaining that first, real "spectators" outside of the individual influence the individual's behavior, then, the internal "spectator" predicts the reaction of the actual external "spectator," and finally, the "impartial and disinterested spectator" within oneself allows one to choose moral judgments according to one's conscience.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

A.スミスがグラスゴー大学の道徳哲学教授のとき，36歳で出版した処女作。1759年刊。《道徳情操論》ともいう。人間の心理のなかで，人間どうしの社会的な交わりによって生ずる感情，性向などをとりあげ，道徳的適正感，功績と罪過の感覚，是認と否認に関する判断力と義務の感覚，有徳の性格などについて論じている。そして，さまざまな感情が個人にどう働きかけ，彼を調和ある社会集団の一員とするのかという問題を考えた。その際〈見物人spectators〉という概念を導入して，まず外部にいる現実の〈見物人〉が個人の行動に影響を与えること，次に内なる〈見物人〉が実際の外部の〈見物人〉の反応を予測すること，そして自分自身の中の〈公平無私なる見物人〉が良心に従った道徳的判断を選ばせること，などを説明する。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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