# Of the Nature of Self-Deceit, and of the Origin and Use of General Rules explained — The Theory of Moral Sentiments > Chapter companion for The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith. ## What happens This chapter explores how self-deceit distorts our moral judgments, especially regarding our own conduct, and how general rules of morality arise from repeated observations of others' actions and sentiments. Smith argues that these rules, formed from experience, help correct the partiality of self-love and guide us toward impartial judgment. ## Themes in this chapter ### Self-Love and the Social Order Smith examines how self-love leads to partial judgments and self-deceit, but general rules formed from social experience help counteract this bias. ### The Impartial Spectator The chapter emphasizes the difficulty of viewing our own conduct from the perspective of an impartial spectator, both before and after action. ### General Rules of Morality Regarded as Laws of the Deity Smith describes how general rules of morality, derived from experience, become sacred and authoritative, checking our passions. ## Character check-ins ### Dr. Mandeville Referenced implicitly through the discussion of self-deceit and the corruption of moral sentiments, though not named directly in excerpts. ## Key lines > Those general rules of conduct, when they have been fixed in our mind by habitual reflection, are of great use in correcting the misrepresentations of self-love concerning what is fit and proper to be done in our particular situation. General moral rules, once internalized through habit, help us overcome the biases of self-love when deciding how to act. _Smith highlights the practical function of general rules in moral decision-making._ > This self-deceit, this fatal weakness of mankind, is the source of half the disorders of human life. Self-deception is a fundamental human flaw that causes much of the turmoil in society. _Smith identifies self-deceit as a major source of moral and social disorder._ > It is thus that the general rules of morality are formed. They are ultimately founded upon experience of what, in particular instances, our moral faculties, our natural sense of merit and propriety, approve, or disapprove of. Moral rules are derived from our repeated experiences of approval or disapproval in specific cases, not from abstract reasoning. _Smith emphasizes the empirical and inductive origin of moral rules._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se/chapters/iv-of-the-nature-of-self-deceit-and-of-the-origin-and-use-of-general-rules - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se/chapters