ABSTRACT
Different psychoanalysts emphasize different aspects of intersubjectivity. This chapter elucidates the active intersubjective processes that are operative within Smith's understanding of sympathy and their implications for the transmission of morality. Sympathy is the foundation of Smith's moral system in the The Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS); Villiez (2006) has referred to it as 'the backbone of Smith's theory'. Smith describes moral psychology when he explains the dynamics in the development of morality through the psychological interactions between the spectator and the agent. Smith's sympathy is an intersubjective one. The chapter also provides a brief description of approaches to intersubjectivity. It presents Smith's views on sympathy, mutual sympathy and the dynamic quality of sympathy between the agent and the spectator. The chapter draws parallels between sympathy and empathy, both of which involve an intersubjective process and compare to the views in the Smith literature. It presents an intersubjective interpretation of sympathy.
