Eighteenth Century Collection Online Demo

The theory of moral sentiments: By Adam Smith, ...

had ordered, we should not think we were guilty of any great absurdity in denominating ••his behaviour vicious and morally evil in the highest degree, tho' it expressed nothing but depraved moral faculties, or an absurd appro|bation of this horrid action, as of what was ••oble, magnanimous and great. Our heart, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 imagine, at the sight of such a spectator, would forget for a while its sympathy with ••he sufferer, and feel nothing but horror and ••etestation, at the thought of so execrable a wretch. We should abominate him even more than the tyrant who might be goaded ••n by the strong passions of jealousy, fear and ••esentment, and upon that account be more ••xcusable. But the sentiments of the spec|••ator would appear altogether without cause ••r motive, and therefore most perfectly and ••ompleatly detestable. There is no perver|••••on of sentiment or affection which our heart would be more averse to enter into, or which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 would reject with greater hatred and indig|••ation than one of this kind, and so far from ••egarding such a constitution of mind as being ••eerly something strange or inconvenient, and ••ot in any respect vitious or morally evil, we
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Title
The theory of moral sentiments: By Adam Smith, ...
Author
Smith, Adam, 1723-1790.
Canvas
Page 511
Publication
London :: printed for A. Millar; and A. Kincaid and J. Bell, in Edinburgh,
1759.

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https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eccodemo/k111361.0001.001
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"The theory of moral sentiments: By Adam Smith, ..." In the digital collection Eighteenth Century Collection Online Demo. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eccodemo/k111361.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 12, 2025.
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