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- Title
The Impartial Wally: A Smithian Analysis of Wabash College's Gentleman's Rule.
- Authors
SNOW, NICHOLAS A.
- Abstract
This paper uses Adam Smith's theory of emergent moral order presented in The Theory of Moral Sentiments to analyze the mechanisms at play in the functioning of Wabash College's Gentleman's Rule. The Rule is extremely succinct: "The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off the campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen." Thus, the Gentleman's Rule is often seen as too vague, simple, and unenforceable by outsiders but is often invoked as a point of pride for the Wabash community by students, alumni, and faculty. I argue that the mechanisms described by Smith explain why this vague, simple, and extremely implicit rule creates a self-enforcing moral order among Wabash students within this uniquely small all-male liberal arts college campus. The paper will also explore the link between the functioning of the Gentleman's Rule and the nature of the male identity among the community.
- Subjects
UNIVERSITIES &; colleges; GROUP identity
- Publication
Cosmos + Taxis, 2023, Vol 11, Issue 11/12, p48
- ISSN
2291-5079
- Publication type
Article