In Praise of Adam Smith’s Organon and Smithian Allegory

I explain two features of Adam Smith’s ethical thought, Smith’s organon and Smithian allegory. Smith’s organon is that inside of every moral sentiment there lurks a sympathy—that is, for any moral sentiment that a person has, there is another being who shares that sentiment as a ‘fellow-feeling;’ there is a sort of communion behind any moral sentiment. Smithian allegory is not singular, but it begins with a single master allegory, that good corresponds to pleasing to the supreme benevolent beholder of the whole. This paper argues that Smith’s organon and Smithian allegory are good. Each feature deserves some praise in isolation but becomes praiseworthy especially for what it makes possible in combination with the other feature