Remarks Upon A Late Book, Entitled The Fable Of The Bees Or Private Vices, Public Benefits In Letter To The Author (1726)

Remarks Upon A Late Book, Entitled The Fable Of The Bees: Or Private Vices, Public Benefits In Letter To The Author (1726) is a critical response to the controversial work, The Fable of the Bees, written by Bernard Mandeville. The author of this response, William Law, was a prominent Anglican theologian and moralist who strongly disagreed with Mandeville's argument that private vices, such as greed and selfishness, could lead to public benefits. Law believed that such a notion was dangerous and immoral, and he used this letter to refute Mandeville's claims and defend his own views on morality and the role of government in promoting the common good. The book is written in the form of a letter to Mandeville and is both a critique of his work and a defense of traditional Christian morality. Law argues that private vices can never lead to public benefits and that the pursuit of self-interest is inherently immoral. He also criticizes Mandeville's view of human nature, arguing that it is too cynical and pessimistic. Overall, Remarks Upon A Late Book, Entitled The Fable Of The Bees: Or Private Vices, Public Benefits In Letter To The Author (1726) is an important work in the history of moral philosophy and political thought, and it continues to be studied and debated by scholars today.To Which Is Added, A Postscript, Containing An Observation Or Two Upon Mr. Bayle.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.