maximizer who is constantly balancing costs and benefits when acting in the world. The
recent work of Griswold (1999), Otteson (2004), and Fleishcacker (1999 and 2004) has
raised serious questions about applying this thin view of the individual to Smith’s work.
By directing attention to the central principles underlying the moral theory found in The
Theory of Moral Sentiments, they have shown why the individual who inhabits Smith’s
commercial society is far more than just a rational utility maximizer bent on bettering his
own condition. He is ultimately a creature who is defined best by his ability to make
moral judgments about others in his everyday life and by the complex psychological
forces that are at work in his mind and in the minds of others in his community.
In this paper I will explore the view of human nature that emerges from
Smith’s theory of moral judgment. I focus on Part VI of The Theory of Moral Sentiments
because it contains some Smith’s deepest insights into human nature and is where he
presents his thick theory of the individual in its most straightforward fashion. The title of
Part VI of The Theory of Moral Sentiments, “Of the Character of Virtue,” is a little
misleading. Given the title, one might expect an analysis of the nature of virtue or an
account of the various virtues that are found in the world. But Smith’s purpose in Part VI
goes beyond this. He discusses the factors that make up the character of individuals and
the processes by which individuals in society are naturally driven to virtue. Virtue is not
limited to one or two traits dominating an individual’s character, but naturally evolves
from the complex web of forces that make up an individual and compel him or her to act
in the world. An analysis of virtue demands an understanding of these forces as well as
an explanation of how these forces are socialized through the moral sentiments.
Part VI also presents Smith’s final thoughts on the relationship that exists between
an individual and the political community, with Smith concluding that an individual’s
3
Convention