Adam Smith's Theory Of Sympathy And The Impartial Perspective

However, Smith’s definition of sympathy and the impartial perspective are dependent upon the influence of a society, and furthermore a society whose morals are personally accepted as correct. This is a contrast to large parts of the reality of the situation, where personal conflict against the norms of society is commonly felt, especially amongst the younger generations of any civilization. A personal issue such as that previously mentioned can be corrected through the knowledge that “the standards by which we judge feelings” and our own can be in direct disparity to the “feelings and standards that are actually current in [the] society;” and that many spectators of our own situations may “misjudge our situations” through misinterpretation. The method of impartial spectator should then to “judge, and act on,” the emotions and responses a “well-informed …show more content…
In particular, his theory of moral philosophy, within which his defining concepts of sympathy and impartial spectatorship emerged, focused on how morality as an intrinsic and societal theme develops through human interaction. As humans within society construct culture, their interactions create sympathy and understanding between them. And with this, biases that corrupt a logical analysis of situations. With removal of these influences, true “moral norms” of the society can be understood and implemented by the expressed feelings of an “impartial spectator,” who would approve actions within circumstances analyzed when they “would sympathize with that feeling,” thus morally approved by the spectator and society. Despite flaws within this concept, the theory of impartial spectatorship, properly applied, plays a key role within Smith’s philosophy on the interaction of humans within society, and the society’s improvement through analysis and implement of