Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“This self-deceit, this fatal weakness of mankind, is the source of half the disorders of human life.”
- Date
- 1759
Meaning of “This self-deceit, this fatal weakness of mankind, is…”
Smith treats distorted self-judgment as a major moral problem because people can preserve flattering interpretations of conduct instead of examining themselves impartially.
Where does it come from?
The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part III, discussion of self-examination and the impartial spectator; Smith is describing the difficulty of judging one’s own conduct fairly.
