No one escapes corruption. It permeates eras and societies, bringing with it a constant stream of scandals and outrage. Journalists find a new example every day, and history books bear its mark everywhere. As a philosopher, Gaspard Koenig sets out to trace its origins. Exploring fields as diverse as literature, history, film, and contemporary art, he encounters those who practice it, from Talleyrand to Mobutu; those who criticize it, from Juvenal to Chomsky; and those who glorify it, from Balzac to Francis Ford Coppola. Through this exploration, corruption reveals its virtues. Discreet virtues, which the self-righteous have taught us to ignore, but essential virtues nonetheless. For corruption is not simply a matter of bribery. In the 18th century, the philosopher Bernard Mandeville, in his Fable of the Bees, imagined a beehive that corruption made active and prosperous. Was he right?
This article was modified on March 23, 2016