New Essays on Adam Smith’s Moral Philosophy

Introduction

1 introduction Wade L. Robison and David B. Suits Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS)1 was published in 1759, and although it was not the instant success of The Wealth of Nations (WN), it was well received. Hume wrote that “the Public seem disposed to applaud it extremely”. Yet those familiar only with WN would no doubt be surprised by some of Smith’s sentiments regarding the moral sentiments. Those of our contemporaries who collect all manner of apps for their cellphones should recognize themselves in Smith’s remarks about how individuals collect trinkets of frivolous utility. What pleases these lovers of toys is not so much the utility, as the aptness of the machines which are fitted to promote it. All their pockets are stuffed with little conveniencies. They contrive new pockets, unknown in the clothes of other people, in order to carry a greater number. They walk about loaded with a multitude of baubles, […] some of which may sometimes be of some little use, but all of which might at all times be very well spared, and of which the whole utility is certainly not worth the fatigue of bearing the burden. [TMS, 180] As Smith says, the motive for such behavior is the “aptness of the machines” for their ends, and this motive works its magic on us as well. We imagine ourselves apt for greater things and so strive to improve ourselves and bring ourselves to public notice to ensure our “wealth and greatness”, only to discover, “in the last dregs of life”, that they “are mere trinkets of frivolous utility, no more adapted for procuring ease of body or tranquillity of mind than the tweezer-cases of the lover of toys” (TMS, 181). The Wealth of Nations is a sustained argument for the efficiency of what we know as the free enterprise system, but though Smith there claims that the quality of life of even the poorest will approach that of an African king with his retinue of servants, his view in TMS is that wealth provides us with “more means of happiness”, but not happiness itself. In short, the argument of WN leaves us with at least two unanswered moral questions: 1 Bibliographic information for all references can be found in the Select Bibliography at the end of this essay. 2 new essays on adam smith’s moral philosophy What is it to live a moral life? Is justice served, or best served, by the free enterprise system? To realize that WN leaves both questions unanswered would no doubt surprise those who think God’s invisible hand guides the free enterprise system to distribute wealth in exactly the right and just way.2 TMS is a helpful antidote to such shallow thinking, and although the collection of essays in this volume will not address every issue of import in TMS or provide definitive answers to the two questions left by WN, they will give us a better understanding of the complexities and subtleties of Smith’s thoughts about matters of morality and about his relations with his friend David Hume, from whom he drew much of his moral theory, with disagreements, of course. We begin with an introductory chapter by Peter Jones, setting Smith’s stage, as it were, the context within which he was writing. In “Smith on Taste and Criticism: Texts and Contexts” Jones argues that context matters if we are to understand a writer. Consider an economic example. In a village or even a town as large as Edinburgh at the time, a butcher who puts his thumb on the scales is not going to have an easy time of it. Word will get around, and the local grapevine will throttle his business even as those who continue to frequent his shop check whether his thumb is on the scales whenever he weighs their meat. Trust matters in towns and villages, and the means for punishing cheating are readily available: customers go elsewhere. How different is modern commerce! If you purchase a faulty toaster, then those of us about to purchase a toaster are clueless that we should not consider the model that you bought. Unlike yesterday’s butcher, today’s manufacturer does not have to be concerned about the village grapevine. Readers’ comments on such internet retailers as Amazon are beginning to work the way grapevines used to work, but this is only a recent phenomenon and even at its best does not replace the village...