Editing Adam Smith (section)

===''The Theory of Moral Sentiments''===
{{Main|The Theory of Moral Sentiments}}
In 1759, Smith published his first work, ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments,'' sold by co-publishers [[Andrew Millar]] of London and Alexander Kincaid of Edinburgh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.millar-project.ed.ac.uk/|title=Andrew Millar Project, University of Edinburgh|website=millar-project.ed.ac.uk|access-date=3 June 2016|archive-date=8 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608092547/http://www.millar-project.ed.ac.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> Smith continued making extensive revisions to the book until his death.{{efn|The 6 editions of ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'' were published in 1759, 1761, 1767, 1774, 1781, and 1790, respectively.<ref>{{cite book|title=Adam Smith, Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence Vol. 1 The Theory of Moral Sentiments [1759]}}</ref>}} Although ''The Wealth of Nations'' is widely regarded as Smith's most influential work, Smith himself is believed to have considered ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'' to be a superior work.<ref>{{harvnb|Rae|1895}}</ref>

In the work, Smith critically examines the moral thinking of his time, and suggests that conscience arises from dynamic and interactive social relationships through which people seek "mutual sympathy of sentiments."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liberalhistory.org.uk/item_single.php?item_id=37&item=biography |title=Biography of Smith |access-date=14 May 2008 |publisher=[[Liberal Democrat History Group]] |year=1997 |author=Falkner, Robert |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611110312/http://www.liberalhistory.org.uk/item_single.php?item_id=37&item=biography |archive-date=11 June 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> His goal in writing the work was to explain the source of mankind's ability to form moral judgment, given that people begin life with no moral sentiments at all. Smith proposes a theory of sympathy, in which the act of observing others and seeing the judgments they form of both others and oneself makes people aware of themselves and how others perceive their behaviour. The feedback received by an individual from perceiving (or imagining) others' judgment creates an incentive to achieve "mutual sympathy of sentiments" with them and leads people to develop habits, and then principles, of behaviour, which come to constitute one's conscience.<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|2002|p=xv}}</ref>

Some scholars have perceived a conflict between ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'' and ''The Wealth of Nations''; the former emphasises sympathy for others, while the latter focuses on the role of self-interest.<ref>{{harvnb|Viner|1991|p=250}}</ref> In recent years, however, some scholars<ref>Wight, Jonathan B. ''Saving Adam Smith''. Upper Saddle River: Prentic-Hall, Inc., 2002.</ref><ref>Robbins, Lionel. ''A History of Economic Thought''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998.</ref><ref>Brue, Stanley L., and Randy R. Grant. ''The Evolution of Economic Thought''. Mason: Thomson Higher Education, 2007.</ref> of Smith's work have argued that no contradiction exists. They contend that in ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'', Smith develops a theory of psychology in which individuals seek the approval of the "impartial spectator" as a result of a natural desire to have outside observers sympathise with their sentiments. Rather than viewing ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'' and ''The Wealth of Nations'' as presenting incompatible views of human nature, some Smith scholars regard the works as emphasising different aspects of human nature that vary depending on the situation. In the first part – ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'' – he laid down the foundation of his vision of humanity and society. In the second – ''The Wealth of Nations'' – he elaborated on the virtue of prudence, which for him meant the relations between people in the private sphere of the economy. It was his plan to further elaborate on the virtue of justice in the third book.<ref name="The Theory of Moral Sentiments">{{cite web |last1=Van Schie |first1=Patrick |title=The Theory of Moral Sentiments |url=https://liberalforum.eu/publication/liberal-read-no-17-empathy-as-a-pillar-of-liberalism/ |website=European Liberal Forum |access-date=2 August 2022}}</ref> [[James Otteson|Otteson]] argues that both books are Newtonian in their methodology and deploy a similar "market model" for explaining the creation and development of large-scale human social orders, including morality, economics, as well as language.<ref>Otteson, James R. 2002, ''Adam Smith's Marketplace of Life''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.</ref> [[Robert Ekelund|Ekelund]] and Hebert offer a differing view, observing that self-interest is present in both works and that "in the former, sympathy is the moral faculty that holds self-interest in check, whereas in the latter, competition is the economic faculty that restrains self-interest."<ref>Ekelund, R. & Hebert, R. 2007, ''A History of Economic Theory and Method'' 5th ed. Waveland Press, United States, p. 105.</ref>