Adam Smith builds an account of moral judgment on our capacity for “fellow-feeling,” or sympathy. To view someone’s situation and adopt their sentiment is to sympathize with and thus approve of them. As the basis for approval, sympathy is also how we find the “tone of temper, and tenour of conduct, which constitutes the excellent and praise-worthy character.” In short, sympathy tells us how to be virtuous. On Smith’s view, however, animals are largely outside the scope of sympathy and virtue. In…
Read moreAdam Smith builds an account of moral judgment on our capacity for “fellow-feeling,” or sympathy. To view someone’s situation and adopt their sentiment is to sympathize with and thus approve of them. As the basis for approval, sympathy is also how we find the “tone of temper, and tenour of conduct, which constitutes the excellent and praise-worthy character.” In short, sympathy tells us how to be virtuous. On Smith’s view, however, animals are largely outside the scope of sympathy and virtue. In this thesis, I argue that Smith’s account of sympathy and virtue can accommodate animals. But while Smith’s account of sympathy and virtue can extend to animals, it's ultimately unsatisfactory given their current situation.
