What The Theory of Moral Sentiments is about

A study of sympathy, character, judgement and the social life behind moral choices. Adam Smith wrote it in 1759. It sits in the society shelf of the library.

The edition you read

The original text is the Adam Smith, 1759, a public domain edition. The text is complete and keeps its own chapter structure, so every reading points back to the same place in the book.

Where to start

The book opens with these readings, in order. The first one is free in the app.

  1. Chap. I., : Of Sympathy
  2. Chap. II., : Of The Pleasure Of Mutual Sympathy
  3. Chap. III., : Of The Manner In Which We Judge Of The Propriety Or Impropriety Of The Affections Of Other Men, By Their Concord Or Dissonance With Our Own
  4. Chap. IV., : The Same Subject Continued

How the readings are split

The 79 readings follow the book's own divisions, grouped into 7 parts. Each reading is a sitting of a few minutes, and the reader remembers the paragraph where you stopped.

Reading it in plain English

Every reading has a plain English draft written paragraph by paragraph, and a short guide with context, an explanation, takeaways and a question to think about. The drafts are labeled Unreviewed plain English draft. Drafts, guides and the readings after the first one need Athenaeum Membership.

Questions about The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Is The Theory of Moral Sentiments free to read?

The Adam Smith, 1759 is in the public domain. In Athenaeum the first of its 79 readings is free, and Athenaeum Membership opens the rest.

How long is The Theory of Moral Sentiments?

Athenaeum splits it into 79 readings. Short books take a week of evenings, and long ones work best a reading or two at a time.

Sources

Read The Theory of Moral Sentiments in Athenaeum

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