Excessive self-esteem, and the social consequences of Mandeville’s analysis : a comment on Robin Douglass’s Mandeville’s Fable

This contribution to a roundtable on Robin Douglass's Mandeville's Fable: Pride, Hypocrisy and Sociability (Princeton University Press, 2023) focuses on two themes raised in the book. First, Mandeville's definition of pride is over-valuing oneself. I ask whether Mandeville seriously entertains the possibility that high self-esteem can be justified, and I consider how his position might compare with that of Hobbes. The second theme concerns Mandeville's claim that pride is the ‘hidden spring' behind all human actions. Douglass's Mandeville sees some social benefit in exposing expressions of moral concern as ultimately motivated by pride. I query the alleged benefit to be found here and ask whether and how Mandeville’s position differs from present-day claims that moral statements are fundamentally motivated by a desire for social approval.