The 400-line fable of the bees a was written by Paul Amadeus Mandiville in 17th century England. The book is one of his most famous works, but he went on to write about other subjects such as women's rights and society at large. He also wrote several short stories that were later turned into films including "Fantastic Mr Fox", which made him an international celebrity. In this interview David Walliams explains how mandiville came up with some ideas for what would become known as 'the female tatler' after she became more popular than her husband.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Bernard Mandeville (1670-1733) and his critique of the economy as he found it in London, where private vices were condemned without acknowledging their public benefit. In his poem The Grumbling Hive (1705), he presented an allegory in which the economy collapsed once knavish bees turned honest. When republished with a commentary, The Fable of the Bees was seen as a scandalous attack on Christian values and Mandeville was recommended for prosecution for his tendency to corrupt all morals. He kept writing, and his ideas went on to influence David Hume and Adam Smith, as well as Keynes and Hayek.
With
David Wootton
Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York
Helen Paul
Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton
And
John Callanan
Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at King’s College London
Producer: Simon Tillotson