《道德情操论·卷六·论德性的品质·二之三·论普遍的仁慈》第2节
The wise and virtuous man is at all times willing that his own private interest should be sacrificed to the public interest of his own particular order or society. He is at all times willing, too, that the interest of this order or society should be sacrificed to the greater interest of the state or sovereignty, of which it is only a subordinate part. He should, therefore, be equally willing that all those inferior interests should be sacrificed to the greater interest of the universe, to the interest of that great society of all sensible and intelligent beings, of which God himself is the immediate administrator and director. If he is deeply impressed with the habitual and thorough conviction that this benevolent and all-wise Being can admit into the system of his government, no partial evil which is not necessary for the universal good, he must consider all the misfortunes which may befal himself, his friends, his society, or his country, as necessary for the prosperity of the universe, and therefore as what he ought, not only to submit to with resignation, but as what he himself, if he had known all the connexions and dependencies of things, ought sincerely and devoutly to have wished for.
注释摘要
斯密在这里建立了一个层层递进、逐级向上的利益服从链条。个人的私利应当为自身所属的阶层或小团体的公共利益让路，团体的利益应当为国家的主权利益让路，而国家层面的利益，最终又应当为整个宇宙——也就是一切有感知、有理性的存在者所构成的宏大社会——的更大利益让路。这个递进不是模糊的修辞，而是一个严格按管辖权与关怀范围排列的等级：越往后，关怀的对象越广阔，主宰者的位格…