Economics Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
| |||
|
| |||
| Moral philosophy: Moral philosophy is the branch of philosophy that deals with questions of right and just action. It examines ethical principles, values and norms that guide human behavior and analyzes concepts such as duty, responsibility and the good. The aim is to develop universally valid criteria for moral behavior. See also Morals, Morality, Ethics, Noncognitivism, Deontology._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
| Author | Concept | Summary/Quotes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Adam Smith on Moral Philosophy - Dictionary of Arguments
Otteson I 13 Moral philosophy/Adam Smith/Otteson: Adam Smith’s first book was The Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS)(1), first published in 1759. It went through six editions in his lifetime, all of them revised by him, with the sixth and final edition coming out shortly before he died in 1790. TMS is based on lectures Smith had been giving regularly at the University of Glasgow beginning in 1752. TMS quickly established Smith as a leading moral philosopher, both in Britain and on the European continent, and for the rest of Smith’s life—and for some time afterwards—it was one of the single most influential books of moral philosophy. The great philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), for example, was deeply influenced by Smith’s TMS. He went so far as to call Smith his “Liebling,” or “favorite.” >Ethics/Kant, >Immanuel Kant. The first thing to note about TMS is that Smith’s primary goal in it was not to recommend behavior. That is, his primary concern was not in telling people how they ought or ought not to behave. It was thus not a book of moralism, but, rather, something closer to an exercise in what we today might call moral psychology. Smith wanted to understand how human beings come to form the moral sentiments they have. How do they come to have the moral sentiments they do? How do they come to find some things to be morally required, others morally prohibited, and still others morally indifferent? And what accounts for the changes in people’s, and society’s, moral sentiments over time? >Society. Another thing Smith observed is that moral sentiments often change. What counts as morally required, prohibited, or indifferent changes over time, both at the individual and societal level. Cf. >Developmental psychology. Cultural values: A final observation Smith made is that, despite the dynamic changes over time of our moral sentiments, on a few matters there seems to be overlap among cultures and times. That the dead should be respected, for example (however “respect” is expressed in this case), or that theft (under most circumstances) and murder (properly defined) are wrong, seem to be part of a widespread, cross-cultural consensus. >Cultural values, >Cultural tradition. 1. Smith, Adam (1982) [1759]. The Theory of Moral Sentiments. D. D. Raphael and A. L. Macfie, eds. Liberty Fund._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
EconSmith I Adam Smith The Theory of Moral Sentiments London 2010 EconSmithV I Vernon L. Smith Rationality in Economics: Constructivist and Ecological Forms Cambridge 2009 Otteson I James R. Otteson The Essential Adam Smith Vancouver: Fraser Institute. 2018 |
||
Authors A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Concepts A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
