“Out of sight, out of mind”: Social interactions and Smith's asymmetrical sympathy

Abstract

Growing literature on Adam Smith’s system of sympathy has recovered an enriching view on our understanding of human interactions. Much attention has been placed on the construction of moral and social communities, the process of identification and recognition that Smith presents. But, the features Smith attributes to the intersubjective identifi-cation mechanism of sympathy can also lead to conceive of the possibility of exclusion of some members of a com-munity. The asymmetry of sympathy allows explaining emulation of those seen as more fortunate as well as the exclusion of those perceived as miserable. Through a formal representation we try to illustrate the phenomena of inclusion and exclusion present in intersubjective relations and the construction of communities.