Abstract

Sophie Grouchy de Condorcet translated Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments into French and added eight letters on the subject of moral sympathy which she attached to the second volume of her translation. The translation and letters were published in Paris in 1798. The letters contain criticism of Smith as well as Mme Condorcet's own views of moral and political philosophy. ;In order to present Mme Condorcet's originality in comparison to her contemporaries, after a general introduction in Chapter One, I provide the French background in Chapter Two. I present the three Enlightenment thinkers: Condillac, Helvetius and Cabanis who influenced Mme Condorcet in their sensationalistic philosophy and their ideas on progress. In Chapter Three I present Adam Smith's theory of sympathy as a basis for moral judgment. Chapter Four contains Mme Condorcet's theory of moral sympathy. She traces the origin of sympathy to our first sensations of pleasure and pain. Sensations of pleasure and pain are first felt at the hands of our caretakers, hence sympathy, Mme Condorcet claims, "begins in the crib". As pain is a recollectable phenomenon, sympathy means feeling pain upon seeing another person suffer. Mme Condorcet is able to explain the nature and scope of sympathy in a way that Hume or Smith did not. ;In Chapter Five I present Mme Condorcet's views regarding the role of reason and sentiments in moral theory. Instead of the usual dichotomy between these two faculties, Mme Condorcet argues that both are essential to the formation of a moral agent. Morality originates in non-reflective moral feelings and is sustained and developed through rational understanding. Chapter Six contains her theory of progress in which Mme Condorcet analyzes the sources of injustice and crime in society and she argues that injustice and crime stem from unfair social institutions and legislation. Mme Condorcet, as opposed to Smith, claims that economic inequalities will always lead to oppression of the poor by the wealthy. She advocates redistribution of wealth. Development of sympathy would contribute to the alleviation of social injustices