Adam Smith and the Roots of Sympathy

The aim of this paper is to characterise Adam Smith's notion of sympathy. The Scottish philosopher provides the reader of the Theory of Moral Sentiments with a very wide definition, subsequently introducing numerous examples and situations in which fellow-feeling plays an important role. However, he does not seek to explain the roots of sympathy. The paper addresses a question of whether search for a genesis of sympathy is required in case of Smith's philosophy. It mentions the idea of general rules of morality and the fact that Smith and Kant regarded them in different ways. It also enlists arguments that back up an assumption that sympathy is an inborn feeling common to all people.