Paragraph 11 of Adam Smith's Of Sympathy was interesting because it relates to how the wealthy view the poor in today's society and also how the poor perceive their own misery. "But the poor wretch, who is in it, laughs and sings perhaps, and is altogether insensible of his own misery. The anguish which humanity feels, therefore, at the sight of such an object, cannot be the reflection of any sentiment of the sufferer. The compassion of the spectator must arise altogether from the consideration of what he himself would feel if he was reduced to the same unhappy situation, and, what perhaps is impossible, was at the same time able to regard it with his present reason and judgment"(Smith, para. 11). The first sentence of the quote explains how a poor person doesn't recognize how miserable he/she really is. When the wealthy look at the less fortunate they feel sorry for them even though the poor might still feel happiness. Most people try to put themselves in the poor persons shoes, but one can never truly grasp what they are feeling. The wealthy ascribe feelings to the poor as if they lessen themselves to their class, so they automatically see them as miserable even though they might be very happy in spite of their current stuff.
In my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee I volunteered for a non profit community development organization called Harvest hands. "Harvest Hands is a catalyst for Christ-centered, wholistic community development working alongside our neighbors to further healthy living, education, spiritual formation and economic development in South Nashville"(Harvest). The south Nashville community was economically very poor, but emotionally they were filled with happiness. This verifies that the poor are unaware of the misery we see upon them. I would try to imagine myself in their shoes and I would automatically assume I would be miserable. This showed how I put to much value into materialistic things, and also how Smith was correct on how selfish humans really are.
"Our Mission." Our Mission. Harvest Hands, 2011. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.
Smith, Adam. "Online Library of Liberty." Online Library of Liberty. Library of Liberty, 1982. Web. 11 Sept. 2013.
Your point that we tend to project various ideas on the poor that may not apply is a good one. But why do you think that Smith thinks that people are selfish, and where do you see that in the quote? Smith certainly would not simply agree with Mandeville's cynical take on humans, although he did see selfishness as part of human nature to some degree. Why do you see selfishness here, though?
ReplyDeleteAlso, how do we extend this quote to the economically poor? Smith is here not literally talking about the actual poor, but rather talking about anyone we feel sorry for, as when we say "poor John! he came down with a terrible disease and lost his marbles!" In other words, the man in the Smith quote is not literally poor, but someone we feel sorry for because they have lost their mental faculties (had a stroke, suffered brain damage, contracted alzheimer's, etc.) Nonetheless, it would be interesting to connect this idea to some passages that we read for tomorrow on Smith's view of the poor. How might we do that?
Connor,
ReplyDeleteThis concept of how the wealthy and the poor view the latter's "misery" is very intriguing and, frankly, is something I have never considered before. When I imagine the poor, much how Smith would predict, I tend to try to "put myself in their shoes"--deprived of various amenities that I enjoy everyday. However, perhaps it is liberation from the complications that go along with these luxuries that make the poor happier. Regardless, it is still our responsibility as a nation to provide for the less fortunate, and that is something we will continue to do.
Cullen Cosco
Reading your take on Smith's views helped me better understand what he was talking about. I enjoyed reading the piece on your personal story. You do not have to do acts such as Harvest Hands but chose to take time to do something like this.
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