The aim of this article is to highlight the difference between pity and sympathy, and thereby underscore the originality of Rousseau’s moral philosophy and its implications in social criticism. As a sentiment, pity presupposes education and a gradual extension to humanity as a sentient community. As a social virtue, it presupposes the equality that laws aim to establish. Therefore, pity does not make social relations more fluid; it rather highlights the scandal of inequality.
Keywords: Self-Love, Sympathy, Virtue, Rousseau, Smith.