What does the phrase "strictly so called" mean here?

Question

"His course of lectures on this subject was divided into four parts. The first contained Natural Theology; in which he considered the proofs of the being and attributes of God, and those principles of the human mind upon which religion is founded. The second comprehended Ethics, strictly so called, and consisted chiefly of the doctrines which he afterwards published in his Theory of Moral Sentiments." (Cited in Nicholas Phillipson, Adam Smith: An Enlightened Life.)

Michael Harvey · Answer

Strictly can mean 'exactly or correctly', and so-called can mean 'thus named or called', so the second part of Adam Smith's lectures comprehended (covered) ethics according to a very precise definition.
It is worth noting that 'so-called' is the modern hyphenated usage, and the modern usage tends to have a sneering implication that the 18th century writer did not intend.
Strictly (Cambridge Dictionary)
So-called (Cambridge Dictionary)

What does the phrase "strictly so called" mean here?

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