Mandeville, Bernard de (c. 1670–1733)

English philosopher and satirist, of Dutch origin. He came to England in 1691, and is best known for his Fable of the Bees, or Private Vices, Public Benefits (1705). It was primarily written as a political satire on the state of England in 1705.

He was born in Dordrecht, Holland, the son of a physician. He was educated at the Erasmus School, Rotterdam, and at Leyden University, from where he graduated in 1691. Although a qualified doctor he did not practice widely. Mandeville rejected the division of human actions into higher and lower and insisted that it is the selfish interests of men that lead to social progress. The Fable of the Bees was also published in 1714 and 1723. Among his other works are The Planter's Charity (1704), Free Thoughts on Religion, the Church and National Happiness (1720), and An Enquiry into the Origin of Honour (1732).

The Fable of the Bees was inspired by Tory attacks on the Duke of Marlborough's supporters.