As far as I can see, sympathy is by no means a virtue, as benevolence is.
Sympathy is a feature of our social behaviour, and it signifies to
"understand" the reasons of our fellows. "To understand" their reasons does
not signify to be generous towards them. The parable of the butcher in
Smith, which appears either in the Glasgow Lectures, or in the Early Draft,
and in the WN,  means quite the opposite. Appealing to our fellows in order
to obtain our meal through the market mecanism implies a sympathetic
attitude.

It is hard to resist to the temptation to call this process "invisible
hand"....

Riccardo Faucci