The other Mandeville: the origins of a scandalous thought. Mechanism, Materialism and Naturalism

This Paper aims to trace the ontological development of Bernard Mandeville's thought. Starting from the early writings, composed during the period at the University of Leiden, I would like to show how a Descartes' framework (mechanical) changes in an Hobbes' pattern (material), becoming what I called physiological naturalism. Here the dualism of soul and body flattens on the thinking matter notion, opening the way for the anthropological and social conception based on passions and on the inclination to compete.