SOURCE: "Politics and Principles," in Adam Smith's Science of Morals, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1971, pp. 205–20.

In the following essay, Campbell argues that Smith's moral and political philosophies are ultimately based on the principle of utility.

The thesis that Smith's theory of morality is essentially a scientific one should not be taken to imply that he does not endorse any moral and political principles of his own. By and large he accepts, as morally justified, the norms which it is his main purpose to explain. His own moral convictions can be seen in the arguments which he uses to justify his confidence in the judgments of the impartial spectator. These convictions are also apparent in the moral assumptions he brings to bear on the political issues of his day and in the recommendations he makes concerning the general conduct of politics. This is not to say that the arguments...