Abstract:

Adam Smith takes “sympathy” as the human nature basis of morality. His moral philosophy has had a deep influence on Steven Pinker’s ethical thought. Pinker views the decline of violence as the sign of the progress of human history. Pinker’s ethical thoughts are in the tradition of Smith’s moral theory, such as the dualism concept of human nature about the conflicts between the better angels and the inner demons, the low-key ethics about cherishing life and reducing pain, and the altruistic “empathy” theory of interactive subjects formed by the transposition imagination. Pinker proves and enriches Smith’s theory of “sympathy” with the achievements of contemporary psychology, brain science and neuroscience.

Key words: Adam Smith, Steven Pinker, morality, sympathy, human nature