The Theory of Moral Sentiments

Many books I had recently read quoted Adam Smith's The Theory of Moral Sentiments, so I wanted to see what was so great about Smith. The author is verbose, but then again most philosophers are wordy. It is worth the read, but towards the end I was rushing through paragraphs to finish. Lots of good insight into the thinking and morality of that time and Smith does get his points across. Anyone who is interested in studying morals should give this book a try.

Adam Smith is rightly known for The Wealth of Nations, the first modern economics book. One might call him the grandfather of modern economics. But he was primarily a moral philosopher, and I believe he himself saw The Theory of Moral Sentiments as his most important book. In it he examines the moral and emotional bases for personal interactions among people. If you read only a few pages, you will be rewarded with aphorisms you can drop into conversations to make you sound very wise, maybe as wise as Adam Smith can make you.

This book, like many of that era, is tough reading. There are a lot of pages one needs to stop and think about the concept presented for a day or so. It is full of intellectually weighty stuff. I found the book key to Smith's foundation and framework for his later, The Wealth of Nations. It is also the foundation for the statement in the Declaration of Independence, "pursuit of happiness". It is worth reading to understand what the Founding Fathers of the United States really meant by "happiness".

316 pages as advertised. Some other reviews of a similar book noted defective typography or a partial book. Not this one. Professionally typeset with some minor formatting shortcuts. Not easy on the eyes but OK considering the alternative is a bigger book. No index, but the original has no index. This is a classic for a good price.

Firstly, this is a remarkably clear exegesis of an empirical theory of ethics that was highly influential in its time, but is little read today. It is clear and interesting and makes a good argument for the idea that there is a moral sense. It is, in fact, surprising how well the writing and reasoning stand the test of time. This is an accurate and complete edition without many of OCR problems which seem to plague other editions. If you are a professional philosopher or just enjoy ideas, this is a very sound edition for you.

The print quality gave me a headache and caused eye strain after a few minutes. The content is a heavy read so do yourself a favor and get a readable print!

Critical to understanding ethical capitalism versus utilitarianism. Great read!

This formerly obscure work is rapidly (and deservedly) becoming a landmark in the field of moral philosophy. Smith anticipates and lays the groundwork for psychology and economics long before those became recognized disciplines. Those who critique capitalism and free markets as embodying cold-hearted individualism need to take a second look, as Smith's Theory begins and ends with discussions of "compassion", "empathy, and "fellow feeling" as the organizing principals of moral and ethical human relations.

This is again very badly eddited book and I suggest you not to sell it on Amazon. The format is too big, lines too long, hard to read, badly eddited, just the text and text. Probably an illegal copy. I returned it and Amazon did not want that I send it back. Thanks very much indeed! I ordered one other eddition, hoping that this one will be correct. I am sorry.

And not just for economists. As a matter of fact, all economists should read this work before reading The Wealth of Nations. This is my second time reading The Theory of Moral Sentiments. As pertinent as ever. Written in older English and will take time to digest. Really helps in understanding The Wealth of Nations.

I read the reviews after buying and this made me to cancel my order, because some buyers expressed that this book only contained parts I - IV. However it was too late and the book came anyway. I reordered another edition and both arrived together, the content of both books are identical on comparison with seven parts.

Not clear where this book was printed, but it has a very cheap feeling to it. The formating is not reader-friendly, which makes a great, classic book tiring to read. The text is crowded with a poorly selected font (too small and too heavy), margins are too narrow, line spacing too tight, etc.

Wow! When an individual testifies to have a product on hand should at least have the courtesy to respond back to one of my previous emails. Now I want to cancel this order and have have the credit back to my account. This individual/company has been misleading at the beginning of this order stating this product is available and in transit when it is not.