ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the formative phases through which Westermarck developed his theory of moral emotions during the 1890s. Westermarck’s earliest writings on the origins of morality are conspicuously inspired by Darwin’s account of the social instincts and the moral sense. Despite his initial enthusiasm, Westermarck soon distanced himself from Darwin’s reflections and formulated his early theory of moral judgement. At the time, Westermarck believed that our moral judgements are based on the feelings of moral approval and disapproval with a special relational character. These feelings receive their moral character from their link with the socially coercive customs and rules derived from the general will. In the same context, Westermarck presented his early theory of the emergence and maintenance of moral norms. The chapter concludes by showing how Westermarck sketched the first outlines of his theory of moral emotions as a result of becoming more familiar with Adam Smith’s moral philosophy.
