A Brief History of the Editions of the Theory of Moral Sentiments

Matson, Erik W.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3689213

Download This Paper

Open PDF in Browser

Add Paper to My Library

A Brief History of the Editions of the Theory of Moral Sentiments

Adam Smith Works

17 Pages Posted: 29 Oct 2020 Last revised: 20 Jul 2021

See all articles by Erik W. Matson

Erik W. Matson

Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Date Written: September 8, 2020

Abstract

This essay provides a short sketch of the changes in the editions of Adam Smith's 'Theory of Moral Sentiments.' I begin with a treatment of the first five editions, focusing on Smith's responses to comments from David Hume and Gilbert Elliot and the addition of the "Languages" essay to edition 3. I then dwell on edition 6 of TMS, as it was the last thing Smith published during his lifetime and features a significant set of changes. I conclude with some comments on the arc of Smith’s development and what I take to be his shifting focus away from moral anatomy towards moral painting.

Keywords: Adam Smith; Theory of Moral Sentiments; Moral Education; Commerce; Science of Man

JEL Classification: B12, B30

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Matson, Erik W., A Brief History of the Editions of the Theory of Moral Sentiments (September 8, 2020). Adam Smith Works, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3689213 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3689213