Abstract
In the debates triggered by the Fable of the bees, John Dennis was one of the earliest critics of Bernard Mandeville. In the essay Vice and luxury Dennis attacked Mandeville’s text, paying much attention to the economic system elaborated by the Dutch author. Specifically, the English writer denied the beneficial effects generated by luxury in enriching society and increasing the wealth of the nation. According to Dennis, this perverse model was responsible of the corruption of English society and was related to slumps such as the South Sea Bubble. In this perspective, Dennis appealed to Machiavelli’s civic humanism as the main bulwark against the Fable. In particular, he considered liberty and moral virtues as the main defense of civil society. From this point of view, the controversy between Dennis and Mandeville assumed a political meaning by stressing the clash between the values of the ancient constitution and the new economic model promoted by the Fable.
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Notes
- 1.
This is also evidenced by the absence of a second edition of Vice and luxury.
- 2.
As reported the Monthly catalogue for the year 1724, Law’s Remarks were published in January, whereas Fiddes’s Treatise in February.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
For the work against Mandeville see Fiddes 1724.
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Revolti, M. (2015). «Remarks Upon that Wonderful Chapter»: The Controversy on Luxury Between Mandeville and Dennis. In: Balsemão Pires, E., Braga, J. (eds) Bernard de Mandeville's Tropology of Paradoxes. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, vol 40. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19381-6_11
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