The Fable of the Bees; Or, Private Vices, Public BenefitsMandeville, Bernard
Philosophy
The Fable of the Bees; Or, Private Vices, Public Benefits
Mandeville, Bernard
Charity-schools -- Early works to 1800; Ethics -- Early works to 1800; Virtue -- Early works to 1800
As in these instances, the friendly qualities arise from our contriving
perpetually our own satisfaction, so, on other occasions, they proceed
from the natural timidity of man, and the solicitous care he takes
of himself. Two Londoners, whose business oblige them not to have
any commerce together, may know, see, and pass by one another every
day upon the Exchange, with not much greater civility than bulls
would: let them meet at Bristol they will pull off their hats, and
on the least opportunity enter into conversation, and be glad of one
another's company. When French, English, and Dutch, meet in China,
or any other Pagan country, being all Europeans, they look upon
one another as countrymen, and if no passion interferes, will feel
a natural propensity to love one another. Nay, two men that are at
enmity, if they are forced to travel together, will often lay by their
animosities, be affable, and converse in a friendly manner, especially
if the road be unsafe, and they are both strangers in the place they
are to go to. These things by superficial judges, are attributed to
mans sociableness, his natural propensity to friendship and love of
company; but whoever will duly examine things, and look into man more
narrowly, will find, that on all these occasions we only endeavour to
strengthen our interest, and are moved by the causes already alleged.
What I have endeavoured hitherto, has been to prove, that the pulchrum
et honestum, excellency and real worth of things are most commonly
precarious and alterable as modes and customs vary; that consequently
the inferences drawn from their certainty are insignificant, and
that the generous notions concerning the natural goodness of man
are hurtful, as they tend to mislead, and are merely chimerical: the
truth of this latter I have illustrated by the most obvious examples in
history. I have spoke of our love of company and aversion to solitude,
examined thoroughly the various motives of them, and made it appear
that they all centre in self-love. I intend now to investigate into
the nature of society, and diving into the very rise of it, make
it evident, that not the good and amiable, but the bad and hateful
qualities of man, his imperfections and the want of excellencies,
which other creatures are endued with, are the first causes that
made man sociable beyond other animals, the moment after he lost
Paradise; and that if he had remained in his primitive innocence,
and continued to enjoy the blessings that attended it, there is no
shadow of probability that he ever would have become that sociable
creature he is now.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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