It used to be that everyone read the notorious Bernard Mandeville (1670-1733). He was a great satirist and came to have a profound impact on economics, ethics and social philosophy. The Fable of the Bees begins with a poem and continues with a number of essays and dialogues. It is all tied together by the startling and original idea that private vices (self-interest) lead to publick benefits (the development and operation of society).