the fable of the bees meaning in English

蜜蜂的寓言

This theory on commercial order was first publicized by bernard mandeville in the fable of the bees , private evil , public interest , which was then metaphorized as “ the invisible hand ” by adam smith . the significance of this theory lies on the fact that it not only liberated commerce and self - interest from the constraint of christian morality and civic virtue , but also made citizen ’ s political participation and civic virtue unnecessary in a new , commercial republic
孟德维尔等思想家关于“私利即公益”的商业秩序理论不仅从功利的角度将商业从公民美德的束缚中解放出来,而且消解了古典共和主义对公民参与和公民美德的要求,同时,商业社会体现出一种文雅的、有教养的和正义的个人道德。