I can't quite understand it either. Is he saying we should act as if watched or that we're being forced to act as if we are? I assume it's the latter. BTW, I'

I can't quite understand it either. Is he saying we should act as if watched or that we're being forced to act as if we are? I assume it's the latter. BTW, I've actually heard recently a description (in the context of Adam Smith) of internalizing the voice of a watcher as the origin of 'Moral Sentiments.' He considered it a good thing. IE, your parents tell you hitting is bad. You eventually tell yourself its bad to hit and morality ensues. There's a parallel to moral shifts in culture, like the ban on gay bashing, domestic abuse, littering & such. In the beginning a few police the many deriding them for littering. Then everyone stops doing it in public. Eventually the ethic is internalized.