Chapter 18
How We Judge Right and Wrong
The analysis of the sense of merit and demerit. 1. As our sense, therefore, of the propriety of conduct arises from what I shall call a direct sympathy with the affections and motives of the person who acts, so our sense of its merit arises from what I shall call an indirect sympathy with the gratitude of the person who is, if I may say so, acted upon. As we cannot indeed enter thoroughly into the gratitude of the person who receives the benefit, unless we beforehand approve of the motives of the benefactor, so, upon this account, the sense…
Public-domain chapter text, formatted for reading.
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"So far our sentiments are founded upon the direct sympathy with the person who acts."
Context: Opening movement where Smith frames the chapter's moral problem.
Smith grounds moral judgment in spectatorship rather than abstract decree. The line asks what a fair observer could enter in imagination before calling a passion proper.
In Today's Words:
When Smith writes that "So far our sentiments are founded upon the direct…," he is naming a habit most of us skip under pressure. Smith grounds moral judgment in spectatorship rather than abstract decree. The line asks what a fair observer could enter in imagination before calling a passion proper. Before you approve or condemn someone this week, run that simulation deliberately and notice what changes in your judgment.
"When we think of the anguish of the sufferers, we take part with them more earnestly against their oppressors; we enter with more eagerness into all their schemes of vengeance, and feel ourselves every moment wreaking, in imagination, upon such violators of the laws of society, that punishment which our sympathetic indignation tells us is due to their crimes."
Context: Middle section where sympathy and propriety are tested.
Here the argument tightens: sympathy is not automatic agreement but measured concord with circumstance. The sentence links inner feeling to social legibility.
In Today's Words:
When Smith writes that "When we think of the anguish of the sufferers, we take…," he is naming a habit most of us skip under pressure. Here the argument tightens: sympathy is not automatic agreement but measured concord with circumstance. The sentence links inner feeling to social legibility. Treat this as a discipline: simulate the circumstance, then judge the passion, instead of reacting to the display alone.
"Upon some occasions we are sensible that this passion, which is generally too strong, may likewise be too weak."
Context: Later passage where the argument turns on spectator judgment.
This passage shows how communities train emotion by rewarding some expressions and mocking others. Smith treats that training as the hidden curriculum of virtue.
In Today's Words:
When Smith writes that "Upon some occasions we are sensible that this passion,…," he is naming a habit most of us skip under pressure. This passage shows how communities train emotion by rewarding some expressions and mocking others. Smith treats that training as the hidden curriculum of virtue. Before you approve or condemn someone this week, run that simulation deliberately and notice what changes in your judgment.
"Before we approve of the sentiments of any person as proper and suitable to their objects, we must not only be affected in the same manner as he is, but we must perceive this harmony and correspondence of sentiments between him and ourselves."
Context: Closing movement where Smith states the social stakes.
In the closing arc, Smith converts observation into practical wisdom about how people actually gain or lose the sympathy of those around them.
In Today's Words:
When Smith writes that "Before we approve of the sentiments of any person as…," he is naming a habit most of us skip under pressure. In the closing arc, Smith converts observation into practical wisdom about how people actually gain or lose the sympathy of those around them. The practical move is to picture the other person's situation first, then decide whether their feeling fits the facts you can actually see.
Thematic Threads
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Smith shows how we form judgments about others through complex emotional processes that consider multiple perspectives simultaneously
Development
Builds on earlier discussions of sympathy by revealing the sophisticated dual mechanism behind moral evaluation
In Your Life:
You might notice this when deciding whether to forgive someone who hurt you while helping others
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Our anger and resentment serve social functions by enforcing standards of behavior and protecting community welfare
Development
Expands previous themes by showing how negative emotions actually support positive social order
In Your Life:
Your outrage at workplace unfairness isn't just personal - it's protecting standards for everyone
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Learning to moderate our emotional responses to match what any reasonable person would feel in the same situation
Development
Continues the theme of emotional regulation but focuses specifically on anger and moral indignation
In Your Life:
You grow by calibrating your anger to fit the situation rather than letting it run wild or disappear entirely
Identity
In This Chapter
We define ourselves partly through our moral judgments and our ability to feel appropriate levels of sympathy and resentment
Development
Deepens earlier identity themes by showing how moral emotions shape who we become
In Your Life:
Your identity includes how you respond to injustice - both what angers you and how you express that anger
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
How does Smith's opening discussion of sympathy frame the argument in 'How We Judge Right and Wrong'?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
One reading is that he sets the spectator's imagination as the test of propriety. The opening line about 'So far our sentiments are founded upon the direct sympathy with the' signals that moral approval begins in shared feeling, not in detached rules.
- 2
What middle development turns on the claim that 'When we think of the anguish of the sufferers, we take part with them'?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
Smith is tracing how spectators move from observation to judgment. The middle section shows that we approve passions when we can keep time with them and condemn them when imaginative substitution fails.
- 3
When have you seen a group misjudge someone's emotions because they could not simulate that person's situation?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Personal answer. The chapter suggests many 'overreactions' are proportion judgments made with incomplete imagination. Managers, clinicians, and family members often err by measuring others on their own emotional scale.
- 4
Near the close Smith stresses that 'Before we approve of the sentiments of any person as proper and suitable to'. What social cost follows when spectators refuse that insight?
application • deepOne way to read it
Relationships fracture when people feel unseen in their passions. Smith warns that moral communities depend on shareable feeling; when sympathy fails, isolation and resentment replace trust even if no formal rule was broken.
- 5
After 'How We Judge Right and Wrong', what habit would you change in how quickly you call another person's feeling unreasonable?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
A strong takeaway is to separate 'I would not feel that' from 'they should not feel that.' Smith pushes readers to treat failed sympathy as an imagination problem first, which can slow harsh judgment without excusing harm.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Practice Double Vision Judgment
Think of someone whose recent actions bothered you - at work, in your family, or in your community. Write down two separate judgments: first, imagine their perspective and motivations (what drove them to act this way?), then consider the impact on everyone affected (who got hurt and how?). Notice how combining both views changes your overall assessment.
Consider:
- •Don't rush to defend or condemn - sit with both perspectives equally
- •Look for how intentions and impact might both be true at the same time
- •Consider whether your anger level matches what most reasonable people would feel
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone judged you harshly without considering your intentions, or too leniently without acknowledging the harm caused. How did their single vision affect the situation, and what would double vision have looked like?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 19: When Kindness Can't Be Forced
Smith will compare justice and beneficence - the difference between not harming others versus actively helping them. He'll explore why society demands one but only admires the other.
