The Fair and Impartial Spectator

Vernon Smith ()

Econ Journal Watch, 2016, vol. 13, issue 2, 330–339

Abstract: Adam Smith’s metaphor of the impartial spectator is an essential element in understanding his model of the maturation process whereby people learn to follow general rules that honor the human sentiments of gratitude and resentment in others. Through the impartial spectator human action, subject to error, is governed by self-command. Smith’s model is presented in the form of a series of propositions.

Keywords: Adam Smith; Theory of Moral Sentiments; impartial spectator; philosophy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 B12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://econjwatch.org/File+download/916/SmithVMay2016.pdf?mimetype=pdf (application/pdf)
https://econjwatch.org/1023 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ejw:journl:v:13:y:2016:i:2:p:330-339

Access Statistics for this article

Econ Journal Watch is currently edited by Daniel Klein

More articles in Econ Journal Watch from Econ Journal Watch Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jason Briggeman ().