A Letter to Dion

Bernard Mandeville's A Letter to Dion arrives as a brisk, provocative rejoinder from one of the eighteenth century's most controversial moralists, directly confronting Bishop Berkeley's Alciphron and the charges leveled against Mandeville's earlier Fable of the Bees. Written in 1732 as Mandeville's final pamphlet, the Letter to Dion defends his reputation against claims of atheism, radicalism, and social levelling, and clarifies his views on self-interest, public virtue, and the moral foundations of society. Part philosophical polemic and part literary rebuttal, the work illuminates the intense debates of the Augustan era over religion, free thought, and political order. Mandeville combines sharp irony with analytic argument to expose misunderstandings in Berkeley’s portrayal, while probing how private vices can produce public benefits — a recurring theme tied to moral philosophy and social theory. The tone is combative but intellectually rigorous, offering insight into early modern controversies that shaped later Enlightenment thought. Ideal for listeners of philosophy, intellectual history, or anyone curious about the origins of debates over morality and society, A Letter to Dion rewards those who enjoy concise, historically grounded disputation and want to hear Mandeville’s defense in his own rhetorical vein.