"This disposition to admire, and almost to worship, the rich and the powerful, and to despise, or, at least, to neglect, persons of poor and mean condition, though necessary both to establish and to maintain the distinction of ranks and the order of society, is, at the same time, the great and most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments." More than 250 years later, Adam Smith’s observation from The Theory of Moral Sentiments is still a constant refrain in discussions of … [Read more...] about Imitating Captain Kirk
Theory of Moral Sentiments review
Star Trek and Adam Smith: Sympathy of the Vians
Adam Smith begins The Theory of Moral Sentiments with a discussion of sympathy:"How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it." What follows is a lengthy exploration of the implications of the fact that we are sympathetic beings. Smith provides an array of examples meant to illustrate the … [Read more...] about Star Trek and Adam Smith: Sympathy of the Vians
Can Sober Smithians Soften Polarized Partisans?
The centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the worldYeats’ lines seem to have a particular resonance these days. One of the most frequent laments about the state of modern politics is the rise of polarization. Where, people ask, is the spirit of compromise, the willingness to come together to get things done? Each side blames the polarization on the other. Those who feel trapped in No Man’s Land frequently point to the rise of social media with its separate closed ecosystems. … [Read more...] about Can Sober Smithians Soften Polarized Partisans?