A Study Of Adam Smith 's "Just Spectator"

"Impartial spectator" in Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments is an important concept. Smith’s "impartial spectator" based upon share resonates with sympathy, compassion, place oneself in others’ position, able to overcome people’s selfishness, capable to make impartial and objective moral-evaluation of others and their own feelings and behaviors. Smith’s "impartial spectator" have a variety of meanings, we sometimes understand it from the real impartial spectator and sometimes it is understood from the hypothetical impartial spectator; sometimes it refers to as an outsider, sometimes refers to as the inner person, that is the conscience; sometimes refers to as a personification of regime and order, and the general consensus standards, rules, and is the embodiment of justice.This article interprets Adam Smith’s "impartial spectator" from two dimensions: the subjective and impartial attitude of individual, and the objective and impartial system of social. From the main dimensions in terms of impartiality, it constituted by the subjective and impartial attitude of individual, and the objective and impartial system of social. The latter can get rid of contingency and subjectivity of the former, and won to the inevitability and objectivity. The objective and impartial system originated from the subjective and impartial attitude, and higher than the subjective and impartial attitude. The organic combination of the two aspects in the historical process, constitute a fair traits of modern society. Impartiality is essentially a idea of justice. The impartiality of Smith’s "impartial spectator "embodied in his theory of justice. Smith agree that justice is the perfect virtue and contains all the virtues; also believes that as the virtue of justice is a kind of passive virtues, which is intended to help prevent injuries. Previously, people who understanding of Smith’s justice often limited to the level of individual virtue, pay less attention to the social-righteous justice. The social-righteous justice is the main pillar that propping up the building of social, and is the most fundamental value proposition of a well-orderly society.In conclusion, the understanding of Adam Smith’s "impartial spectator" is both subjective and objective, both individual virtue and social justice. The main work in this paper is to further Smith’s interpretation of the text, surrounding above the two dimension of interpretation, analyzing the connotation, characteristics and evolution mechanism of the "impartial spectator" from two aspects------the moral emotion and cognition of "impartial spectator" and the justice of "impartial spectator".