The Theory of Moral Sentiments to Which is Added a Dissertation on the Origin of Languages
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAP. III. Of the manner in which we judge' of the propriety or impropriety of the aff'etlions of other men, by their concord or dif/'onance ivitb our ' .U . own. IJ H E N the original paffions of the perfon principally concerned .are in perfect concord with the fympathetic emotions of the fpectator, they necefTarily appear to this laf t juft and proper, and fuitable to their objects; and, on the contrary, when, upon bringing the cafe home to himfelf, he finds that they do not coincide with what he feels, they neceflarily appear to him unjuft and improper, and unfuitable to the caufes which excite them. To approve of the paffions of another, therefore, as fuitable to their objects, is the fame thing as to obferve that we entirely fympathize with them; anj not to approve of them as fuch, is the fame thing as to obferve that we do not entirely fympathize with them. The man who re- fents the injuries that have been done to me, and obferves that I refent them precifely as he does, neceflarily approves of my refentment. The man whofe fympathy keeps time to my grief, cannot but admit the reafonablenefs of my forrow. He who admires the fame poem, or the fame picture, and admires them exactly as 1 do, muft furely allow the juftnefs of my admiration. He who laughs at the fame joke, and laughs along with me, cannot well deny the propriety of my laughter. On the contrary, the perfon who upon thefe different occafions, either feels no fuch emotion as that which I feel, or feels none that bears any proportion to mine, cannot avoid difapproving my fentiments on account of their diflbnance with his own. If my animofity goes beyond what the indignation of my friend can cor- refpond to j if my grief exceeds what his moft tender compaffion can go along with; if my admiration is eit...