Kels ey B rady , Joint Honours Political Science and Philosophy Under the s upervis ion of PROFESSOR JACOB T. LEVY, Tomlinson Professor of Political Theory From the Fable of the Bees to the Invisible Hand A Study in Eighteenth Century Political Satire

WhatINTRODUCTION is Enlightenment? EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY POLITICAL SATIRE AND TRAVEL LITERATURE

‘Th e En ligh t en men t ’ is one of thoseterms that this short excer p t of Kant’s, as exp r essin g an is often used, ab o u t which theorists—be they almo st blind faith in thepow er of reason, an d historians, political theorists, sociologi sts , gro u n d in g this faith in developments in the Bernard Mandeville philosophers, or otherwise—hold very strong naturalsc ienc es—presents the modern reader 1714 Fable of the Bees (1714-1723) opinions, yet its meaning is difficult to pin with a surfac e tension: ‘Enli ghtenm ent ’ down. Th e ster eotype of ei gh t een t h century conjures both imag es of the triumph of It can be said that Man d e vil le ’s Fa b le of the Bees perh aps most obviously contributed to the eco n o mic thought of Adam Sm ith , insofar as the latt er rejected its main ar gu men t while social an d political thinkers—exemp lif ied in reason, an d its ultimate demise, as failing to prevail over ignorance an d diversity. Th is temperin gsom e of theformer’s cl aims ab o u t human nature an d motiv ation. It ad van c es the Enlighte nment is man's rele ase from research sought to problematize this thesis that ev er y individua l’s pursuit of their own self-intere st may contributeto that soc iety ’s his self- in curre d tute la ge. Tu telage is charact erization, an d proposes that welook at go o d . Th e work’s motto—”private vic es, public benefits”—seeks to show that comm erci a l society is fullycomp atible with moral corruption an d le ads to the degradation of further; an d , man's inability to make use of his political satires an d travel lit erature as laying further, that those wishin g to harmonizethe individu al go o d with the well-being of the under sta nding without direct io n from theintel le ctual foreground for the em er g en c e of liberal ism. Mor e than 60 years separated collective wholewere fundamentally misguided in their pursuit. anot her. Se lf-in cu rred is th is tu tela ge thepublication of Lock e’s Second Tr ea t ise an d when it s cause lies not in lack of Mon tesq u ieu ’s Sp irit of the Laws, an d these Daniel Defoe reaso n but in la ck of resolu tio n an d ye ars were filled with strong intel le ctua l 1719 Robinson Crusoe cour age to use it without direction development an d political com mentar y. Th e Robinson Crusoeis acom mentar y on Loc ke’s Second Tr ea t ise of Go vernm ent, insofar asDefoe from another. Sapere aude! “Have salon conversations an d subsequent intell ectual mov em ents spark ed by this also treats the topics of property accu mu l at io n , private ownership, with connection to the cour age to use your own rea son!” — literature served as important precursors to notions of individual an d politicalfr eedom. Th e novel has been interpreted as an allegory for that is the motto of enlightenment. ar gu m en t s for religious toleration, the rule of thedevelopment of civil isation, as amanifestoof economicindiv idualis m an d as an exp r essio n of Eu r o p ean colonial desir es but it also shows the importance of repentance an d illustrat es — Immanuel K ant, 1 7 8 4 law, moderat e go v ern men t , an d comm erci a l prosperity still influential today. thestrength of Defoe's religious convictions.

Baron de Montesquieu 1721 Persian Letters In political th eory, Mon tesq u ieu ’ s Persian Letters is best kn ow n for the Myth of the Tr o glo d yt e s. Importantly, this story ad v an c es-–far beforehis magnum opus Sp irit of the Laws did—an alt er n at e acco u n t to the foundational stories told by the social contract tradition . Instead of emerging from an y ide aliz ed foundational mom ent or horizontal pact of asso ci at io n , the Tr o glo d yt es find their origins in tyranny, an ar ch y, an d perpetual rebirth caused by tides of historical ch ang e. Neither virtue nor human nature is innate on this acco u n t ; nor does moral ity pro gress teleolo gicallytowards ab so lu t e perfection. Th e Myth of The Grumbling Hive the Tr o glo d yt es foreshadows Mon tesq u i eu ’s famous cl aim that the id eas underlying the En glish an d Fren ch constitutions were take fromtheGermans, an d “found in theforests.” […] M Jonathan S wi ft THEN leave Complaints: Fools only strive N 1726 Gulliver’s Travels To make a Great an honest Hive. [410] As the book’s title suggests , Gulliv er’s Tr a vels is an o t h er benchmark in th etravelogue gen r e . T'enjoy the World's Conveniencies, In common with Persian Letters, Sw if t’s cla ssic pr esents Gulli ver as a narrator that is all- Be famed in War, yet live in Ease together unreliable during his recounting of travels ab r o ad to different, fantastic lands an d Without great Vices, is a vain islands, an d even during his more sol emn moments of reflection an d moral judg em ent— Eutopia seated in the Brain. despite being a Cambrid ge-train ed surgeon an d avid reader of the Anci ents an d Mod ern s . Fraud, Luxury, and Pride must live; [415] Importantly,OH this novel presents a view that directly opposes Mandeville’s: on e that-–rather than vi ew ing vice through a positive lens—celebrates the virtues of acknowledging our Whilst we the Benefits receive. viciousnes s in both political an d soci al life, an d this ackn o w l ed g em en t as la ying the Hunger's a dreadful Plague no doubt, foreground for ef f ect ive an d meaningful political act io n . Yet who digests or thrives without? KY Do we not owe the Growth of Wine Voltaire Candide (1759) To the dry, crooked, shabby Vine? [420] 1759 Which, whist its shutes neglected stood, Candide: or, Th e Op timist, represents perhaps one of the most scathing caricatures of Choak'd other Plants, and ran to Wood; philosophicaltrends in Fren ch intell ectua l lif e, an d philosophers gen eral ly. Professor Pangloss, But blest us with his Noble Fruit; atutor to Candid etrain ed in Leibnizianphilosophy, is consist ently portrayed as an indiv idua l that ‘lik es to hear himself talk’, so to sp eak, an d overs ees the slow, painfuldisillusionment of As soon as it was tied, and cut: his student as hetravels an d exp er i en ce s therealitiesof soci al lif e. Volt aire’s pr escriptions ar e So Vice is beneficial found, [425] practical: as the la st lin es of Candidefamouslyst ate, “that is allwellsaid, Pangloss, but now When it's by Justice lopt and bound; we must cultivate our gard en .” Nay, where the People would be great, As necessary to the State, At Hunger is to make 'em eat. Bare Vertue can't make Nations live [430] In Splendour; they, that would revive A Golden Age, must be as free, For Acorns, as for Honesty.