'Fable of the Bees' Summary

Bernard Mandeville's "Fable of the Bees" is a didactic poem that explores the relationship between individual vices and the collective good. The poem tells the story of a prosperous beehive that is thrown into chaos when the bees become virtuous. As the bees become more honest, industrious, and charitable, their economy collapses and their society falls apart. The poem's moral is that the pursuit of personal vices, such as greed and vanity, is actually beneficial to society as a whole. Mandeville argues that these vices promote economic growth, innovation, and social order. While the poem's message is controversial, it has been influential in the development of both the moral philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment and the methodology of modern economics.