What is it about?
The paper basically tries to distinguish the aspiration to reach higher stations, as in the case of the adulation of the rich and powerful, from the everyday pursuit of interest. Here, interest can be self- or other-interest. The pursuit of self- or other-interest (altruism) rather expresses the emotion of benevolence, as opposed to malevolence. As such, benevolence is simply about the maximization of interest. But aspiration is a motivation that differs from everyday pursuit of interest, i.e., benevolence. Still, there is a link between aspiration and interest, and this paper states the link (as well as the difference) as clearly and sharply as possible.
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Why is it important?
The paper identifies how aspiration differs, but still linked to interest. This is important if we want to understand status and so on.
Perspectives
This paper is part of a larger work on the rationality-emotions-morality nexus.
Elias Khalil
Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Is the Adulation of the Rich-and-Powerful Derived from Benevolence? Adam Smith and the Distinction Between Aspiration and Interests, Critical Horizons, October 2019, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/14409917.2019.1672268.
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