ADAM SMITH. 199 



Now one consideration, which has in part been antici- 

 pated, shows that such is not the case. We may sym- 

 pathise with another, that is, we may feel that in his 

 position our own inclinations would be exactly the 

 same with those under which he appears to be acting, 

 and yet we may equally feel that we should deserve 

 blame, and not approval. Why? "Because," says 

 Dr. Smith, " we take into the account also that others, 

 that is to say, men in general, not under the influence 

 of excitement to disturb their feelings or their judg- 

 ments, will disapprove." But why should they ? If 

 they are to place themselves, as we are desired to do, 

 in the situation of the propositus, of him whose con- 

 duct is the subject of consideration, they must each of 

 them feel, as we do ourselves, that in his situation they 

 would do as he is doing, or, at least, would be inclined 

 so to do. Therefore, this appeal to others in general, 

 this calling in the general sense to correct the indivi- 

 dual, can have no effect upon the hypothesis ; it can 

 only exert any influence, or apply any correction, upon 

 some other hypothesis. It appears, therefore, that in 

 every view the theory is unsound. 



At the same time, nothing can be more clear than 

 the very high merit and the very great value of the 

 work in which that theory is explained, illustrated, and 

 applied. 



In the first place, it is the first modern systematic 

 work on ethics which exhausts the subject by going 

 over its whole range, both as regards the principles of 

 our nature, whereby we distinguish moral thoughts, 

 words, and actions, and as regards the grounds of our 

 approving or disapproving of these. The writings of 

 his predecessors, particularly, as we have seen, those 

 of Butler, Hutcheson, and Hume, had done much, but 

 they had left much to be done in forming a compre- 

 hensive and general system. 



Secondly. The important operation of sympathy was 

 never before explained and traced, its effects upon our 



