The Theory of Moral Sentiments · Chapter
Of the Beauty Which the Appearance of Utility Bestows Upon All the Productions of Art, and of the Extensive Influence of This Species of Beauty explained
Smith explores how the perception of utility contributes to beauty, arguing that the fitness of objects to serve their ends often becomes more valued than the ends themselves.
What happens
Smith explores how the perception of utility contributes to beauty, arguing that the fitness of objects to serve their ends often becomes more valued than the ends themselves. He illustrates this through examples like watches and household arrangements, and extends the principle to wealth and social systems, introducing the 'invisible hand' concept to explain how individual self-interest can unintentionally promote public good.
Themes in this chapter
Self-Love and the Social Order
Smith argues that the pursuit of wealth and greatness, driven by self-love and the love of system, inadvertently benefits society through the 'invisible hand,' distributing resources and advancing public welfare.
Corruption of Moral Sentiments by Wealth and Rank
The chapter examines how admiration for the rich and great often focuses on the 'artful adjustment' of means rather than genuine happiness, leading to a misplaced valuation of wealth and status.
Characters to notice
- Dr. Mandeville
Referenced as the 'ingenious and agreeable philosopher' who argued that utility pleases by suggesting the pleasure it promotes, though Smith extends this idea further.
Key passages
“That utility is one of the principal sources of beauty has been observed by everybody, who has considered with any attention what constitutes the nature of beauty.”
Everyone who has thought about beauty agrees that usefulness is a major source of it.
Smith opens by stating a common observation about the link between utility and beauty.
“They are led by an invisible hand to make nearly the same distribution of the necessaries of life, which would have been made, had the earth been divided into equal portions among all its inhabitants, and thus without intending it, without knowing it, advance the interest of the society, and afford means to the multiplication of the species.”
The rich, guided by an unseen force, end up sharing life's necessities with the poor as if the land were equally divided, unintentionally benefiting society and enabling population growth.
This is the famous 'invisible hand' passage, illustrating how self-interest can lead to public good.