《道德情操论·卷五·论习惯与风尚对道德情感的影响·一·论习惯与风尚对美丑观念的影响》第6节
Such is the system of this learned and ingenious father, concerning the nature of beauty; of which the whole charm, according to him, would thus seem to arise from its falling in with the habits which custom had impressed upon the imagination, with regard to things of each particular kind. I cannot, however, be induced to believe that our sense even of external beauty is founded altogether on custom. The utility of any form, its fitness for the useful purposes for which it was intended evidently recommends it, and renders it agreeable to us, independent of custom. Certain colours are more agreeable than others, and give more delight to the eye the first time it ever beholds them. A smooth surface is more agreeable than a rough one. Variety is more pleasing than a tedious undiversified uniformity. Connected variety, in which each new appearance seems to be introduced by what went before it, and in which all the adjoining parts seem to have some natural relation to one another, is more agreeable than a disjointed and disorderly assemblage of unconnected objects. But though I cannot admit that custom is the sole principle of beauty, yet I can so far allow the truth of this ingenious system as to grant, that there is scarce any one external form so beautiful as to please, if quite contrary to custom and unlike whatever we have ever been used to in that particular species of things: or so deformed as not to be agreeable, if custom uniformly supports it, and habituates us to see it in every single individual of the kind.
注释摘要
斯密在这一段里，对他此前的论述做了一个重要的收束与限定。前面他花了很长的篇幅，反复论证习惯与风尚如何支配着我们对建筑、音乐、诗歌乃至自然事物之美的判断，引了一个名叫布菲耶的神父的系统说法——每一种事物的美，不过就是该类事物中最常见、最习惯的形式。斯密用布菲耶来把那个立场推到极致：美的全部魅力，似乎都只是习惯在想象中的沉积。说完这一步，他停下来，说，这个精巧…