If he was to lose his little finger to-morrow, he will not sleep tonight; but, provided he never saw them, he will snore with the most profound security over the ruin of a hundred millions of his brethren, and the destruction of that immense multitude seems plainly an object less interesting to him, than this paltry misfortune of his own. To prevent, therefore, this paltry misfortune to himself, would a man of humanity be willing to sacrifice the lives of a hundred millions of his brethren, provided he had never seen them?
There is a truth to this, at least regarding our immediate focus. You lie asleep at night worrying about your boss, your computer file, your friend, your bicycle, etc. — not someone you've never met on the other side of the world, no matter what grave things you imagine might be happening to them.
Smith is asking not only what you think about, but what you would do. Are you "willing to sacrifice" others' happiness for your own? That is a question of what you believe you want, but also perhaps what you'd actually do.
Of course, if the hypothetical situation is silly enough, it may not sound like a real moral question. No one is offering to free a child they've kidnapped if you'll turn over your bicycle.
Nonetheless, a hypothetical can be a starting point for self-examination.
If you'd like to learn more about my work, I've published books. Also, I write for Medium.
See my thoughts on Joel Edward Goza's America's Unholy Ghosts, a book that discusses Adam Smith. My article is a 5-minute read, and the link I provided is unpaywalled. If you buy a paid membership, you don't have to worry about the paywall.
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