IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jeborg/v184y2021icp804-812.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Custom and moral variability: An interpretation of part V of Smith's theory of moral sentiments

Author

Listed:
  • Jackson, Bradley R.

Abstract

Through a consideration of Part V of Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments, this paper investigates the differential effects of custom on morality, which depend on the social station and profession of the moral actor, and on place, time, and situation. This paper shows how Smith understands that moral sentiments develop naturally and yet are susceptible to vital forces of moral leadership (“fashion”) that can affect their development. Smith prescribes different moral actions in differing circumstances and demonstrates moral leadership in his own action. This paper argues further that Smith holds it necessary for social elites to model behaviors that are productive of freedom in society at large.

Suggested Citation

  • Jackson, Bradley R., 2021. "Custom and moral variability: An interpretation of part V of Smith's theory of moral sentiments," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 804-812.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:184:y:2021:i:c:p:804-812
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2020.08.033
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268120303103
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.08.033?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:184:y:2021:i:c:p:804-812. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jebo .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.