Chapter 22
Why We Blame Objects and Praise Intentions
Of the causes of this influence of fortune. The causes of pain and pleasure, whatever they are, or however they operate, seem to be the objects, which, in all animals, immediately excite those two passions of gratitude and resentment. They are excited by inanimated, as well as by animated objects. We are angry, for a moment, even at the stone that hurts us. A child beats it, a dog barks at it, a choleric man is apt to curse it. The least reflection, indeed, corrects this sentiment, and we soon become sensible, that what has no feeling is a very…
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Key Quotes & Analysis
"The least reflection, indeed, corrects this sentiment, and we soon become sensible, that what has no feeling is a very improper object of revenge."
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 "The least reflection, indeed, corrects this sentiment,…," 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. The practical move is to picture the other person's situation first, then decide whether their feeling fits the facts you can actually see.
"Without this other quality, those passions cannot vent themselves with any sort of satisfaction upon it."
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 "Without this other quality, those passions cannot vent…," 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. In offices, families, and public debate, the people who judge well are usually the ones who slow down long enough to enter the scene imaginatively.
"But to preserve and to increase his esteem, is an interest which the greatest mind does not think unworthy of its attention."
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 "But to preserve and to increase his esteem, is an…," 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. The practical move is to picture the other person's situation first, then decide whether their feeling fits the facts you can actually see.
"And, thirdly, it must not only have produced those sensations, but it must have produced them from design, and from a design that is approved of in the one case, and disapproved of in the other."
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 "And, thirdly, it must not only have produced those…," 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 Nature
In This Chapter
Smith reveals how our emotional responses follow predictable patterns that often misdirect our energy toward inappropriate targets
Development
Building on earlier observations about sympathy and moral judgment, now examining the mechanics of blame and gratitude
In Your Life:
You might notice yourself getting angry at your phone when you're really frustrated with your workload
Emotional Intelligence
In This Chapter
True satisfaction from moral emotions requires the target to be capable of feeling and intentional action
Development
Introduced here as a framework for understanding when our emotional responses are appropriate versus misdirected
In Your Life:
You feel more satisfied confronting a person who wronged you than breaking the object that caused the problem
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
We judge people partly based on outcomes, not just intentions, because fortune influences our moral assessments
Development
Expanding the earlier theme of how society shapes moral judgment to include the role of luck and consequences
In Your Life:
You might judge someone more harshly when their good intentions lead to bad results, even when you know they meant well
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Understanding these emotional patterns allows us to redirect our responses more productively
Development
Continuing the theme of self-awareness as a tool for better living and relationships
In Your Life:
You can catch yourself before wasting energy on anger that won't create any positive change
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Our need for intentional agents to direct our emotions toward explains why interpersonal conflicts feel more significant than impersonal frustrations
Development
Building on earlier chapters about sympathy to explain why human connections satisfy our emotional needs in ways objects cannot
In Your Life:
You find it more meaningful to thank a person who helped you than to feel grateful toward lucky circumstances
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 'Why We Blame Objects and Praise Intentions'?
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 'The least reflection, indeed, corrects this sentiment, and we soon become sensible' signals that moral approval begins in shared feeling, not in detached rules.
- 2
What middle development turns on the claim that 'Without this other quality, those passions cannot vent themselves with any sort of satisfaction'?
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 'And, thirdly, it must not only have produced those sensations, but it must have'. 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 'Why We Blame Objects and Praise Intentions', 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
Track Your Blame Targets
For the next week, notice when you feel frustrated, angry, or grateful. Write down what triggered the feeling and what or who you initially wanted to blame or thank. Then ask yourself: Can this target actually understand my emotion and change their behavior? If not, what's the real source of your feeling?
Consider:
- •Pay attention to moments when you're stressed or tired - that's when we're most likely to misdirect emotions
- •Notice the difference between blaming people who can learn from feedback versus venting at systems or objects
- •Look for patterns in who or what becomes your go-to target when things go wrong
Journaling Prompt
Write about a recent time when you were angry at someone or something. Looking back, were you mad at the right target? What was really bothering you, and how could you have addressed the actual source more effectively?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 23: When Good Intentions Meet Bad Luck
Smith will examine just how far this influence of fortune extends in shaping our moral judgments, revealing the surprising ways that luck and circumstances affect how we view right and wrong.
