The Theory of Moral Sentiments

E30267

book philosophical work

The Theory of Moral Sentiments is Adam Smith’s foundational philosophical work that explores the origins of human morality, sympathy, and ethical judgment.

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All labels observed (1)

Label	Occurrences
The Theory of Moral Sentiments canonical	5

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T235622 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Context triple: [Adam Smith, notableWork, The Theory of Moral Sentiments]

A. An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals
An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals is a philosophical work by David Hume that develops his influential account of morality as grounded in human sentiment rather than reason alone.
B. Essays, Moral and Political
Essays, Moral and Political is an early collection of philosophical writings by David Hume that explores topics in ethics, politics, and human nature, helping to establish his reputation as a leading Enlightenment thinker.
C. The Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations is Adam Smith’s foundational 1776 treatise on economics that laid the groundwork for classical free-market theory and modern economic thought.
D. On Human Nature
On Human Nature is a landmark 1978 book by biologist Edward O. Wilson that explores the biological and evolutionary foundations of human behavior and won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
E. The Conduct of Life
The Conduct of Life is a collection of essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson that explores practical and philosophical questions about how to live ethically and purposefully in the modern world.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Target entity description: The Theory of Moral Sentiments is Adam Smith’s foundational philosophical work that explores the origins of human morality, sympathy, and ethical judgment.

A. An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals
An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals is a philosophical work by David Hume that develops his influential account of morality as grounded in human sentiment rather than reason alone.
B. Essays, Moral and Political
Essays, Moral and Political is an early collection of philosophical writings by David Hume that explores topics in ethics, politics, and human nature, helping to establish his reputation as a leading Enlightenment thinker.
C. The Wealth of Nations
The Wealth of Nations is Adam Smith’s foundational 1776 treatise on economics that laid the groundwork for classical free-market theory and modern economic thought.
D. On Human Nature
On Human Nature is a landmark 1978 book by biologist Edward O. Wilson that explores the biological and evolutionary foundations of human behavior and won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.
E. The Conduct of Life
The Conduct of Life is a collection of essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson that explores practical and philosophical questions about how to live ethically and purposefully in the modern world.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	book ⓘ philosophical work ⓘ
addresses	origin of moral approval and disapproval ⓘ relationship between self-interest and morality ⓘ role of social interaction in moral judgment ⓘ
author	Adam Smith ⓘ
contrastsWith	purely rationalist moral theories ⓘ
countryOfOrigin	Scotland ⓘ
editionCount	multiple revised editions by Adam Smith ⓘ
emphasizes	role of sentiments in ethics ⓘ
followedBy	The Wealth of Nations ⓘ surface form: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
genre	ethics ⓘ moral philosophy ⓘ philosophy ⓘ
hasCommentaryBy	intellectual historians ⓘ modern economists ⓘ moral philosophers ⓘ
influenced	Scottish Enlightenment thought ⓘ The Wealth of Nations ⓘ
keyConcept	impartial spectator ⓘ merit and demerit ⓘ propriety of actions ⓘ self-command ⓘ sympathy as basis of moral judgment ⓘ virtue as prudence, justice, and beneficence ⓘ
language	English ⓘ
lastEditionYear	1790 ⓘ
mainSubject	ethical judgment ⓘ moral psychology ⓘ moral sentiments ⓘ morality ⓘ sympathy ⓘ virtue ⓘ
movement	Scottish Enlightenment ⓘ
notableIdea	distinction between praise and praiseworthiness ⓘ importance of propriety over consequences in everyday morality ⓘ moral norms emerging from mutual spectatorship ⓘ
partOf	Adam Smith’s overall moral and social philosophy ⓘ
philosophicalSchool	British moral philosophy ⓘ moral sentimentalism ⓘ
placeOfPublication	Edinburgh ⓘ London, England ⓘ surface form: London
publicationDate	1759 ⓘ
publisher	Alexander Kincaid and J. Bell ⓘ Andrew Millar ⓘ
structure	seven parts in the final edition ⓘ six parts in the first edition ⓘ
subtitle	An Essay towards an Analysis of the Principles by which Men Naturally Judge concerning the Conduct and Character, first of their Neighbours, and afterwards of Themselves ⓘ