This article examines the moral role of compassion in the thought of Louis-Sébastien Mercier (1740-1814) by focusing on two largely neglected works : La Sympathie, histoire morale (1767) and Charité (1805). Although almost four decades and the historical rupture of the French Revolution lie between these texts, they show both the changes and the continuity of Mercier’s reflections on moral sentiment. The analysis shows how Mercier reconfigures the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Adam Smith by combining narrative strategies and philosophical enquiry to explore the ethical significance of sympathetic feelings. From sentimental novel to short treatise, Mercier develops a philosophical track in which sympathy, pity, benevolence, and charity emerge as key concepts for the justification of the moral life and, ultimately, for the notion of a ‘politics of sympathy’ in the 18tʰ century.
Sympathie et charité dans deux textes négligés de Louis-Sébastien Mercier
Marco Menin
2025-01-01
Abstract
This article examines the moral role of compassion in the thought of Louis-Sébastien Mercier (1740-1814) by focusing on two largely neglected works : La Sympathie, histoire morale (1767) and Charité (1805). Although almost four decades and the historical rupture of the French Revolution lie between these texts, they show both the changes and the continuity of Mercier’s reflections on moral sentiment. The analysis shows how Mercier reconfigures the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Adam Smith by combining narrative strategies and philosophical enquiry to explore the ethical significance of sympathetic feelings. From sentimental novel to short treatise, Mercier develops a philosophical track in which sympathy, pity, benevolence, and charity emerge as key concepts for the justification of the moral life and, ultimately, for the notion of a ‘politics of sympathy’ in the 18tʰ century.
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