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Smith’s moral theory in The Theory of Moral Sentiments is comprehensive
and occasionally ambiguous. Smith at one points says that he is focused on “matters of
fact” not “matters of right” (II.i.5.10), while at others moments he concludes that the
impartial spectator is “reason, principle, conscience…the great judge and arbiter of our
conduct” (III.i.46) and therefore appears to imply that the ... read moreimpartial spectator is able
to communicate a transcendent and corrected moral opinion that ought to be obeyed.
Within my thesis I explore this tension in Smith’s thought by focusing firstly on the
role of religion in his theory in order to determine if the impartial spectator is
representative of divine will and can be deemed authoritative because it is divinely
ordained. Secondly I analyze the role of society and community in Smith’s theory in
order to determine the extent to which the individual can reject and “transcend” the
moral standards accepted by their peers in order to ultimately demonstrate that Smith’s
theory structurally operates in a way that does not promote, or allow for, the
promulgation of universal morals.read less
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