Introduction to Thomas Reid’s lecture on Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments

The lecture by Thomas Reid (1710–1796) that is translated and presented here dates from his years as the Chair of Moral Philosophy in Glasgow. It presents an uncompromising discussion of the “theory” of the previous holder of the Chair, Adam Smith (1723–1790). The “system of sympathy” set out in The Theory of Moral Sentiments is the focus of several objections, drawn from the arsenal Reid employs in his general attack on all forms of moral sentimentalism that rely one-sidedly on the affective component of evaluations. The text reveals that Francis Hutcheson and David Hume were not the only targets of this critique and highlights some of the difficulties and audacities of Adam Smith’s “theory of morals.”