The impartiality of Smith’s spectator
The problem of parochialism and the possibility of social critique
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6260000 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Golemboski (0000-0002-4062-3531, Georgetown University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 174-193 |
| Publication date | 2018-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Political Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1474-8851 • E-ISSN: 1741-2730 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1474885115572921 |
| OpenAlex | W2333728796 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 32 |
Amartya Sen has argued that contractarian theories of justice inevitably fall victim to the problem of parochialism, for the reason that they rely on a problematically narrow conception of impartiality. Sen finds a corrective model of impartiality in Adam Smith’s figure of the impartial spectator. In this essay, I argue that Sen’s invocation of the spectator to resolve the problem of parochialism is unfounded, as the impartial spectator is fundamentally a product of socialization that serves to propagate conventional moral norms. I consider various interpretive avenues for “rescuing” the spectator from parochialism, and ultimately conclude that a minor amendment to Smith’s account, resting on the possibility of a conscience informed by moral pluralism, is required
Economic Justice · Egalitarianism · Epistemology · Impartiality · Parochialism · Pluralism (philosophy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Law · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy · Political Economy and Marxism · Political Philosophy and Ethics
Adam Smith's Science of Morals
The Impartial Spectator
The Theory of Moral Sentiments
A Theory of Justice
Adam Smith and the Character of Virtue
Adam Smith's Marketplace of Life
Distant Suffering
The Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith, Vol. 5
Ethical Absolutism and the Ideal Observer
The Enlightenment of Sympathy
Adam Smith on Dignity and Equality
Constructing Justice for Existing Practice
A Turn to Empire
Defending Immanent Critique
Sympathetic Liberalism
Immanent Critique as the Core of Critical Theory
The Two Voices of Adam Smith
The Socialization of the Individual in Adam Smith
Justice
The Idea of Justice
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2020 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |