Fable of the Bees, Volumes 1 & 2

It used to be that everyone read the 'notorious' Bernard Mandeville (1670-1733). He was a great satirist and came to have a profound impact on economics, ethics and social philosophy. 'The Fable of the Bees' begins with a poem and continues with a number of essays and dialogues. It is all tied together by the startling and original idea that 'private vices' (self-interest) lead to 'publick benefits' (the development and operation of society).