《道德情操论·卷一·论行为的合宜性·一之三·我们如何判断他人情感是否合宜》第2节
{17} To approve of another man's opinions is to adopt those opinions, and to adopt them is to approve of them. If the same arguments which convince you convince me likewise, I necessarily approve of your conviction; and if they do not, I necessarily disapprove of it: neither can I possibly conceive that I should do the one without the other. To approve or disapprove, therefore, of the opinions of others is acknowledged, by every body, to mean no more than to observe their agreement or disagreement with our own. But this is equally the case with regard to our approbation or disapprobation of the sentiments or passions of others. There are, indeed, some cases in which we seem to approve without any sympathy or correspondence of sentiments, and in which, consequently, the sentiment of approbation would seem to be different from the perception of this coincidence. A little attention, however, will convince us that even in these cases our approbation is ultimately founded upon a sympathy or correspondence of this kind. I shall give an instance in things of a very frivolous nature, because in them the judgments of mankind are less apt to be perverted by wrong systems. We may often approve of a jest, and think the laughter of the company quite just and proper, though we ourselves do not laugh, because, perhaps, we are in a grave humour, or happen to have our attention engaged with other objects. We have learned, however, from experience, what sort of pleasantry is upon most occasions capable of making us laugh, and we observe that this is one of that kind. We approve, therefore, of the laughter of the company, and feel that it is natural and suitable to its object; because, though in our present mode we cannot easily enter into it, we are sensible that upon most occasions we should very heartily join in it.
注释摘要
斯密在这一段里做了一个看起来很有野心的断言：赞同另一个人的意见，就等于你接受了他的意见；接受他的意见，也就等于你赞同了它。这等于是说，赞同和意见上的一致，这两个东西不但同时发生，而且根本就是一回事。他说得那么斩钉截铁——你不可能设想一个人同意对方的判断而不同时接受那套理由。把这个逻辑套在情感上，他的结论就很清楚了：我们判断别人的情感是否合宜，那个判断所依据…