Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
The Fable of the Bees - cover

The Fable of the Bees

Bernard Mandeville

Publisher: PubMe

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

Laws and government are to the political bodies of civil societies, what the vital spirits and life itself are to the natural bodies of animated creatures; and as those that study the anatomy of dead carcases may see, that the chief organs and nicest springs more immediately required to continue the motion of our machine, are not hard bones, strong muscles and nerves, nor the smooth white skin, that so beautifully covers them, but small trifling films, and little pipes, that are either overlooked or else seem inconsiderable to vulgar eyes; so they that examine into the nature of man, abstract from art and education, may observe, that what renders him a sociable animal, consists not in his desire of company, good nature, pity, affability, and other graces of a fair outside; but that his vilest and most hateful qualities are the most necessary accomplishments to fit him for the largest, and, according to the world, the happiest and most flourishing societies.
Available since: 02/02/2021.

Other books that might interest you

  • Evolution Is Wrong - A Radical Approach to the Origin and Transformation of Life - cover

    Evolution Is Wrong - A Radical...

    Erich von Däniken

    • 1
    • 1
    • 0
    A Fascinating Exploration on Why the Darwinists’ Theory No Longer Explains Everything 
    There was once a set of ideas called the theory of evolution, conceived by clever people and confirmed by countless scientists. Then people discovered the electron microscope. This made it possible to make the molecules within the cell visible, and suddenly questions about evolution arose that were not possible before. Which force actually bundles the atoms in the right order? What moves the molecular chains into the correct position? How did the first living unit within the cell actually come about? How does inheritance work, how does information pass on to the next generation? Did humans descend only and exclusively from primates—as Charles Darwin and countless other great minds assumed—or did additional “engines” intervene in evolution?  
    Today it is clear: countless questions can no longer be answered with the previous theory of evolution. There is a form of life called “Blob” (Physarum polycephalum). The “thing” has neither eyes nor ears, neither a mouth nor a nose or even a brain. Nevertheless, it takes in food, overcomes obstacles by the shortest route and exchanges information with other “blobs.” The “blob” contradicts any evolutionary thought that one develops from the other. Or the “gastric-brooding frogs” (Rheobatrachus) found in Australia. They hatch their young in the stomach. Impossible in a slow, evolutionary process.  
    Everywhere there are characteristics of animals that do not want to fit into the theory of evolution anywhere. And man? Are we really the most adapted life-form on this planet? Today, more and more scientists who contradict the previous theory of evolution speak out. The theory fits the changes within the species, but it can no longer be reconciled with the inner workings of the cell. Some other influence that has so far escaped us is affecting evolution. It is called “Intelligent Design.” Intelligent planning is suspected behind this. Anyone or anything—a spirit of the universe? Aliens?—could be behind this planning.  
    Erich von Däniken uses countless examples to demonstrate the impossibility of the previous evolutionary idea. He quotes scientists who argue against the previous teaching, but also those who defend it. Unfortunately, established science still refuses to look at discrepancies and holes in the theory of evolution, even though it is quite obvious that there is more going on with regard to the development of all species, as well as human culture, than could be explained by the theory of evolution alone.
    Show book
  • Down These Green Streets - Irish Crime Writing in the 21st Century - cover

    Down These Green Streets - Irish...

    Declan Burke

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    This book suggests crime fiction is now the most relevant and valid form of writing which can deal with modern Ireland in terms of the post-'Troubles' landscape and post-Celtic Tiger economic boom. The book takes a chapter by chapter approach with each chapter and author discussing a different facet of Irish crime writing for example, Declan Hughes discusses the influence of American culture on Irish crime writing and Tana French reflects on crime fiction and the post-Celtic Tiger Irish identity. This publication is aimed at both the academic and general reader.
    Show book
  • Putin's Russia - Life in a Failing Democracy - cover

    Putin's Russia - Life in a...

    Anna Politkovskaya

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    A searing portrait of a country in disarray and of the man at its helm, from "the bravest of Russian journalists" (The New York Times)Hailed as "a lone voice crying out in a moral wilderness" (New Statesman), Anna Politkovskaya made her name with her fearless reporting on the war in Chechnya. Here, she turned her steely gaze on the multiple threats to Russian stability, among them Vladimir Putin himself.Rich with characters and poignant accounts, Putin's Russia depicts a far-reaching state of decay. Politkovskaya describes an army in which soldiers die from malnutrition, parents must pay bribes to recover their dead sons' bodies, and conscripts are even hired out as slaves. She exposes rampant corruption in business, government, and the judiciary, where everything from store permits to bus routes to court appointments is for sale. And she offers a scathing condemnation of the war in Chechnya, where kidnappings, extra-judicial killings, rape, and torture beget terrorism rather than fighting it. Finally, Politkovskaya denounces both Putin, for stifling civil liberties as he pushes the country back to a Soviet-style dictatorship, and the West, for its unqualified embrace of the Russian leader.Sounding an urgent alarm, Putin's Russia is a gripping portrayal of a country in crisis and the testament of a great and intrepid reporter, who received death threats and survived assassination attempts for her scathing criticism of the Kremlin. Tragically, on October 7, 2006, Politkovskaya was shot and found dead in an elevator in her Moscow apartment building. After several years of investigations, five men were imprisoned for her murder.
    Show book
  • The Secret of Chimneys - cover

    The Secret of Chimneys

    Agatha Christie

    • 0
    • 2
    • 0
    At the request of George Lomax, Lord Caterham reluctantly agrees to host a weekend party at his home, Chimneys. A murder occurs in the house, beginning a week of fast-paced events with police among the guests...
    
    The Secret of Chimneys, by master-author Agatha Christie, introduces the much-loved characters of Superintendent Battle and Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent.
    Show book
  • No Place Like Murder - True Crime in the Midwest - cover

    No Place Like Murder - True...

    Janis Thornton

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    “This engrossing collection of historical Midwest murders reads like a thriller. True crime at its best. I couldn’t put it down.” —Susan Furlong, author of the Bone Gap Travellers novels 
     
    A modern retelling of 20 sensational true crimes, No Place Like Murder reveals the inside details behind nefarious acts that shocked the Midwest between 1869 and 1950. The stories chronicle the misdeeds, examining the perpetrators’ mindsets, motives, lives, apprehensions, and trials, as well as what became of them long after. 
     
    True crime author Janis Thornton profiles notorious murderers such as Frankie Miller, who was fed up when her fiancé stood her up for another woman. As fans of the song “Frankie and Johnny” already know, Frankie met her former lover at the door with a shotgun. 
     
    Thornton’s tales reveal the darker side of life in the Midwest, including the account of Isabelle Messmer, a plucky young woman who dreamed of escaping her quiet farm-town life. After she nearly took down two tough Pittsburgh policemen in 1933, she was dubbed “Gun Girl” and went on to make headlines from coast to coast. In 1942, however, after a murder conviction in Texas, she vowed to do her time and go straight. Full of intrigue and revelations, No Place Like Murder also features such folks as Chirka and Rasico, the first two Hoosier men to die in the electric chair after they brutally murdered their wives in 1913. The two didn’t meet until their fateful last night. 
     
    An enthralling and chilling collection, No Place Like Murder is sure to thrill true crime lovers. 
     
    “Thornton wittily describes heretofore unheralded true crime stories from Indiana’s small towns.” —Keven McQueen, author of Horror in the Heartland
    Show book
  • All One Universe - cover

    All One Universe

    Poul Anderson

    • 0
    • 1
    • 0
    “Themes of a colorful assortment of stories range from life on other planets to alternative history . . . a perfect introduction to his perennial genius.” —Booklist 
     
    Poul Anderson himself has put together a retrospective collection of his recent writings, fiction and nonfiction, under the title All One Universe. This is the first major Poul Anderson collection in a decade. It encompasses all his strengths as a teller of tales and, in addition, provides a running commentary in the story notes and in the essays on other literary figures such as Rudyard Kipling, Johannes B. Jensen, and John W. Campbell, Jr., commentary that illuminates the fiction, gives personal insight into the mind of this fine writer, and provides a unifying personality for All One Universe. All One Universe, then, represents the new best of Poul Anderson. It is a rich, varied selection of quintessential science fiction as well as four essays, mostly from recent years, by one of the great science fiction writers of the century. His stories are filled with roaring energy, the soul of poetry, and dark imaginings. 
     
    “A fine introduction to one of SF’s masters.” —Starlog 
     
    “Fact and fiction, shaped by one of SF’s keenest minds, are mingled in this collection . . . On the whole, All One Universe is a collection which does its creator proud while delighting his fans.” —Rapport 
     
    “Poul Anderson’s writings have been at a remarkably high, consistent level of quality for nearly fifty years, now. All One Universe is a book for anyone interested in either SF or in craftsmanship.” —David Drake
    Show book