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SYMPATHY, SOCIAL HARMONY, AND THE RHYTHM OF SENTIMENTS: AN ESTHETIC INTERPRETATION OF ADAM SMITH’S MORAL THEORY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2025

Julia Fleider Marchevsky Open the ORCID record for Julia Fleider Marchevsky [Opens in a new window]
Julia Fleider Marchevsky*
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Julia Fleider Marchevsky: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais/Université Paris 8.
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Abstract

By exploring Adam Smith’s considerations of arts, this paper stresses that the philosopher establishes a profound connection between music and sympathy. In his essay “Of the Nature of that Imitation which takes place in what are called The Imitative Arts,” Smith delves into esthetic theory, dedicating a significant portion of the text to music and its role in eliciting pleasure and emotions. While previous studies have acknowledged the presence of art-related vocabulary and an esthetic dimension in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, they have not comprehensively mobilized his art essay to illuminate his moral theory. Following this unexplored path, this paper rallies the parallel Smith creates between emotions and musical aspects, such as rhythm and melody, to find a connection between his esthetic and moral ideas. In essence, it reveals how the human esthetic sensibility to look for regularities and order serves as a foundational element in Smith’s understanding of sympathy and social harmony.

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Journal of the History of Economic Thought , First View , pp. 1 - 19
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of History of Economics Society

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Footnotes

My appreciation to Alexandre Cunha, Thiago Vargas, Maria Pia Paganelli, Maurício Coutinho, Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak, Henrique Viana, Ana Paula Londe, Luiz Felipe Bruzzi, and two anonymous referees for their comments and suggestions on this paper. Of course, all mistakes are mine.

References

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