# Mr. John Smith — The Theory of Moral Sentiments character guide

> Mr. John Smith in The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** John

**First appearance:** 0038-i-of-the-principle-of-self-approbation-and-of-self-disapprobation

## Who they are

Hypothetical individual used in examples of moral reasoning.

## In the story

### [Of the Unsocial Passions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se/chapters/iii-of-the-unsocial-passions)

Referenced as the authorial voice discussing the nature of unsocial passions and the role of the impartial spectator.

### [Of the Causes of This Influence of Fortune](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se/chapters/i-of-the-causes-of-this-influence-of-fortune)

Referenced in the excerpt as the author of 'The Turkish Spy', which recounts an officer's brutal treatment of a horse.

### [Of the Influence and Authority of Conscience](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se/chapters/iii-of-the-influence-and-authority-of-conscience)

Used as a hypothetical example of a man of humanity who would be more disturbed by losing his little finger than by the ruin of a hundred million brethren, illustrating the natural selfishness of passive feelings.

### [V: Of the Influence and Authority of the General Rules of Morality, and That They Are Justly Regarded as the Laws of the Deity](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se/chapters/v-of-the-influence-and-authority-of-the-general-rules-of-morality-and-that-they-are-justly-regarded-as-the-laws-of-the-deity)

Referenced as a generic example of a man who acts from a sense of duty rather than natural sentiment, illustrating the principle of general rules.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se/characters/john_smith
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_theory_of_moral_sentiments_se/characters