A study of SPECTATORS : On the ethical text of A. Smith

Abstract

There was a social upheaval from the late seventeenth-century to eighteenth-century. In the Middle Age, Catholicism penetrated in the mind of the people and after its corruption, they were obliged to find out their spiritual anchor. England was a country which had gone ahead with the modernizing, and formed the modern civil society at an early stage. In the modern society, an individual was considered that one who has his own way of thinking, desire and actions. Then people should judge if his act was right or wrong by himself. An outward restriction was not effective for such people, as they need the inward one. Thus, a concept of 'conscience' was noticed There were two theories in the English moral philosophy at that period. One was developed by Hobbes and Manderville, and the other was by Shaftesbury and Hutcheson. In the history of moral philosophic the former is called 'egoism' and the latter, 'altruism'. The former considers that Man's nature is based on 'self-preservation' or 'self-love', therefore it asserts that it is necessary to place outward restriction. On the other hand, the latter is asserting that its nature is based on not only 'self-preservation' or 'self-love' but also 'fellow-feeling' or 'benevolence'. A. Smith holds the view which is inherited and unified these two moral theories and asserts as below : 'self-love' or 'self-preservation' should not be denied, however, these must fall under the feeling with which 'the impartial spectator' feels 'sympathy'. This theory parallels judgements of morals. If the impartial spectator feels sympathy with the act, it would consider right. If not, wrong. However, even the impartial spectator's judge is not always perfect. One should have ear for opinions of 'real spectators' who live in this society.