52 pages • 1 hour read
Adam SmithA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
A theory of moral sentiments should address two basic questions. First: “[W]herein does virtue consist—or what is the tone of temper, and tenor of conduct, which constitutes the excellent and praise-worthy character, the character which is the natural object of esteem, honor, and approbation?” (246). Second: “[B]y what power or faculty in the mind is it, that this character, whatever it be, is recommended to us?” (246). Smith examines other moral philosophers’ responses to the first question in Part 7, Section 2, and he addresses responses to the second question in Part 7, Section 3.
By Adam Smith