Stop 2: The Cloisters

The Cloisters connect the East and West quadrangles and lead inside to the Hunterian Museum and Bute Hall, where the University’s graduation ceremonies are held. Be sure to check out these bonus stops if you have time.

For now, though, let’s take a seat on one of the benches surrounding the courtyard and observe the crowds of people walking by. How would you feel if I told you that some of the strangers walking past are suffering? Perhaps they are dealing with the death of a loved one, or maybe a chronic illness.

I'm sure I would feel sympathetic towards them – it’s not nice to think of people suffering.

Yes, I think on the whole most people would be empathetic towards the suffering of others. Now let's imagine this example on a bigger scale. Let's say tomorrow you open up your computer to a news article about an earthquake that has hit a country on the other side of the world, killing thousands of people. How would you respond?

Well, this isn't actually that strange to us - thanks to the 24-hour news cycle, we constantly hear about thousands of people suffering in different parts of the world.

Right, so how do you respond? Adam Smith says that when exposed to the death of a thousand of strangers, we will remark our disapproval, and say, oh what a terrible world, but then we will go on with our life, and that night we will sleep soundly, as if nothing has happened.

Yes I think that sounds about right.

Now, imagine something different. What if I told you that tomorrow you are going to lose your little finger?

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't sleep at all if I knew my finger was to be chopped off tomorrow.

Yes, I think it's fair to say the thought of losing a finger would bother us all a lot more than learning about strangers’ misfortunes. And this raises a question for Adam Smith: Since our emotional response is greater when we imagine losing a finger than it is to hearing about the death of a thousand strangers, would it follow that someone would sacrifice thousands of lives to save their little finger?

I'm sure most people would say that would be insane.

Yes, I would agree and so did Adam Smith. His answer was no, nobody would do that - human nature startles with horror at the thought of such a suggestion.

So why do we feel worse about losing our little finger than we do about the death of a multitude of strangers?

Well, Smith suggests that people are fundamentally self-interested, but stressed that this is not the same as selfish.

But given our self-interest, why do we so often act selflessly, sacrificing our own well-being to help others?

Well, he argues that our behaviour is driven by an imaginary interaction with what he calls the impartial spectator – it is this figure we look to when we consider what is moral or right.

So in other words our conscience? Like, a fellow human being looking over our shoulder, reminding us we are not the centre of the universe?

Yes exactly. This concept gives us a powerful tool for self-improvement. Adam Smith argues that we want to be seen as having integrity, honesty and good principles, and that paying attention to how your behaviour is perceived can lead to a happier and more fulfilling existence.

Life is punctuated by moments in which you have to choose between what is easy and convenient for you and what an impartial spectator would see as the right thing to do. This moral code includes an understanding that we are no better or more deserving than anyone else. Enough people watching though, let's get up and wander beneath those arches.

Good idea, let's go. Of course, not everyone acts selflessly at all times. A lot of the time we fail to live up to the ideals we champion and the principles we claim to embrace, and we often don’t want to be confronted with an honest assessment of our behaviour.

Yes, self-deception can be more comforting than self-awareness in these situations. But Smith has a solution for this too. He writes that we find it much easier to see the moral imperfections in others than our own shortcomings. Therefore, our flawed neighbours can act like a mirror that allows us to see our own imperfections and hopefully remedy them.

It makes sense to me that acting like a good person, and knowing you’re a good person, is an important part of being happy. That’s got me thinking about what else Adam Smith has to say about getting the most out of life. Let's head out of this courtyard now and walk around to the Lion and Unicorn Staircase, we can continue the conversation over there. If you have time be sure to check out the bonus stops along the way and we will pick up where we left off on the staircase when you're ready.