Adam Smith's Sympathy Theory And Its Ethical Value

Adam smith is an important representative of emotionalist ethics,his ethical thoughts centered on sympathy are mainly embodied in The Theory Of Moral Sentiments.Adam Smith constructed the ethics system on the basis of the sympathy theory to guide human behavior and promote the generation of human moral character.All about these have important enlightenment significance to the altruistic love and even to the construction of the community of human destiny.This thesis proposes that when capitalism and liberalism become the mainstream mode of thinking and behavior of Westerners,the dispute between economic man and moral man urges Smith to put forward the two sides of human nature,and regards sympathy as an important premise for human nature to be good.In order to prove the effectiveness and necessity of sympathy for human life,Smith absorbed different interpretations of sympathy from Stoicism,Sapcibury,Hutchison and Hume,and formed his unique theory of sympathy on the basis of critically absorbing the previous emotionalism ethics.Smith endowed sympathy with new connotation and ethical significance.He proposed that "appropriateness" and " Impartial observers " should be regarded as the standards of moral judgment,and that sympathy and prudence,mercy and justice should be regarded as the most important virtues of human beings.This shows the important influence of Adam Smith's sympathy theory on economic and social life.Through the study of Smith's classic original works and related research literature,this thesis,from the theory,puts forward Smith's concept of sympathy,which deepens the multiple aspects of the theory of sympathy in the history of western ethics,promotes the influence of emotionalism ethics in economic and social life,goes out of the dual confrontation between traditional virtue ethics and deontology ethics,and enriches ethics Diversification of theory.In practice,it interprets the positive influence of sympathy on economic life,which is helpful to shape individual's good character and dissolve the conflict of public communication.Of course,Smith did not give a clear and systematic proof of how to balance the relationship between the narrow nature of sympathy and objectivity.This has left a great space for Mr.Slote,a famous emotionalist ethicist,to put forward a full and powerful argument.There are a lot of similarities between Smith's sympathy thought and our modern society.His sympathy thought can provide theoretical reference for our contemporary moral construction.We should absorb the essence of Smith's sympathy theory and build a self disciplined moral system,so as to provide beneficial references for forming a good social moral atmosphere.