Tag Archives: Adam Smith
David Hume said humans, in observing pain, experience that pain, too. Therefore, we want to alleviate the pain of other people, to ameliorate the suffering it causes within us. This empathy for our fellow humans constitutes the basis for treating them decently. Hume’s best friend Adam Smith, in his 1759 work The Theory of Moral Sentiments, agreed that instinctual empathy helped birth human morality. He wrote: How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his … Continue reading
On December 25 of every year, a wonderous celebration takes place: We scarf down copious amounts of food, imbibe generous portions of alcohol, and give and receive presents in joyous approbation of the money, greed, free enterprise, industriousness, decadence, and gluttony that define our culture. We should do that; it promotes recognizance of what we are, which is a good thing. But let’s stop calling the day on which we indulge in a capitalist wet dream “Christmas.” Jesus Christ, from … Continue reading
