《道德情操论·卷一·论行为的合宜性·三之一·同情悲伤何以强于同情快乐》第3节
What can be added to the happiness of the man who is in health, who is out of debt, and has a clear conscience? To one in this situation, all accessions of fortune may properly be said to be superfluous; and if he is much elevated on account of them, it must be the effect of the most frivolous levity. This situation, however, may very well be called the natural and ordinary state of mankind. Notwithstanding the present misery and depravity of the world, so justly lamented, this really is the state of the greater part of men. The greater part of men, therefore, cannot find any great difficulty in elevating themselves to all the joy which any accession to this situation can well excite in their companion. But though little can be added to this state, much may be taken from {44} it. Though between this condition and the highest pitch of human prosperity, the interval is but a trifle; between it and the lowest depth of misery the distance is immense and prodigious. Adversity, on this account, necessarily depresses the mind of the sufferer much more below its natural state, than prosperity can elevate him above it. The spectator, therefore, must find it much more difficult to sympathize entirely, and keep perfect time, with his sorrow, than thoroughly to enter into his joy, and must depart much further from his own natural and ordinary temper of mind in the one case than in the other. It is on this account, that though our sympathy with sorrow is often a more pungent sensation than our sympathy with joy, it always falls much more short of the violence of what is naturally felt by the person principally concerned.
注释摘要
这一段的核心，是斯密为前文一个看似矛盾的判断提供的解释。他刚说过，我们的同情心对悲伤的反应比对快乐的更引人注目，甚至我们从旁观察时还会刻意压抑对他人悲苦的共感；可他随即又断言，在没有嫉妒的情况下，我们对快乐的同情倾向其实强得多，也更贴近当事人原本的情绪强度。这听起来像是一个悖论。于是，他在这里引入一个关于人类处境的基本事实，来解释旁观者进入悲伤与进入快乐时…