Bernard Mandeville: Pride, Vice, and the Foundations of Society

Bernard Mandeville’s social philosophy challenges the traditional belief that societies are built on moral virtue. In The Fable of the Bees, he presents a provocative argument: human society thrives not despite vice, but because of it.

Private Vices, Public Benefits

Mandeville famously writes:

Thus every part was full of vice,
Yet the whole mass a paradise;
The worst of all the multitude
Did something for the common good.

Through these lines, Mandeville introduces his central paradox—private vices lead to public benefits. Although individuals are selfish, vain, and morally flawed, society as a whole prospers. Even the most corrupt members contribute, often unintentionally, to economic growth and social order. According to Mandeville, prosperity does not arise from virtue but from self-interest.

The Human Craving for Approval

Mandeville argues that human beings possess a deep and endless desire for approval and admiration from others. This craving motivates people to behave in socially acceptable ways. Qualities such as generosity, politeness, and morality are not purely selfless; rather, they are shaped by self-interest and the desire for social recognition.

In this sense, moral behaviour is not the opposite of selfishness but one of its refined expressions.

Mandeville as an Anatomist of Human Nature

Mandeville saw himself as a reader of disguised human motives, an anatomist of human nature who sought to show people what they are, not what they ought to be. He believed that human beings are driven by self-regarding passions—desires focused on the self.

We continually feed these passions, even when doing so seems to go against our rational self-interest. Often, we deceive ourselves about our true motivations, convincing ourselves that our actions are virtuous when they are actually driven by hidden selfish impulses. Among all human passions, pride is the most dominant and powerful.

Sociability as an Evolutionary Process

For Mandeville, sociability is not natural virtue but an evolutionary achievement. Human beings hold a high opinion of themselves and simultaneously desire others to confirm this self-image. Recognition, admiration, and approval become social necessities.

Over time, people learn that open displays of pride often offend others and disrupt social harmony. As a result, individuals gradually learn to conceal their pride. Politeness, modesty, and civility emerge not as genuine moral virtues, but as social strategies that allow individuals to satisfy their pride without provoking hostility.

Thus, society evolves by domesticating pride, not eliminating it.

The Duel: Pride, Shame, and Social Discipline

The duel serves as a paradigmatic example of how pride and shame function in the development of sociability. Pride makes individuals deeply value their reputation and self-image, while shame arises from the fear that others will judge them as weak or dishonourable.

When a person’s honour is challenged, they feel compelled to respond—not out of material self-interest, but to protect their social esteem. Although duelling appears irrational and violent, it reveals how individuals regulate their behaviour according to shared social norms.

In this way, pride and shame discipline individual behaviour and integrate people into a common moral framework, reinforcing social cohesion.

Conclusion

Mandeville’s theory presents a radical rethinking of morality and society. He shows that social order is built not on virtue, but on managed vice. Pride, vanity, and self-interest—when properly regulated—become the very forces that sustain cooperation, politeness, and civic life.

In Mandeville’s unsettling vision, society is not a triumph over human weakness, but a clever arrangement of it.