https://dev.bcld.info/works/58190bb6-5ed5-43ed-8813-83976133b1da
type: Monograph
type: Text
type: Work
aap: Williams, David Lay, 1969-. The greatest of all plagues
admin metadata: AdminMetadata
  agent: bcld
  date: 2026-07-07T22:42:47.346731+00:00
  derived from: http://id.loc.gov/resources/works/23400364
  status: http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/mstatus/c
admin metadata: AdminMetadata
  cataloger id: Unknown
  date: 2026-07-07
  description authentication: pcc
  description language: eng
  description level: bibframe-2-6-0
classification: Classification
  classification portion: PHI019000
  source: Source
    code: bisacsh
classification: ClassificationLcc
  assigner: dlc
  classification portion: HB523
  item portion: .W55 2024
  status: uba
classification: ClassificationDdc
  assigner: dlc
  classification portion: 339.2
  edition: full
  source: Source
    code: 23/eng/20240214
classification: Classification
  classification portion: BUS023000
  source: Source
    code: bisacsh
content: http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/contentTypes/txt
contribution: Contribution
  type: PrimaryContribution
  agent: nr2002009727
  role: aut
language: eng
relation: Relation
  relationship: onlineversion
  relationship: otherphysicalformat
subject: BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economic History
  type: Topic
  aap-normalized: business&economics/economichistory
  source: bisacsh
  authoritative label: BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economic History
  is member of MADS scheme: bisacsh
subject: PHILOSOPHY / Political
  type: Topic
  aap-normalized: philosophy/political
  source: bisacsh
  authoritative label: PHILOSOPHY / Political
  is member of MADS scheme: bisacsh
subject: Equality--Economic aspects
  type: Topic
  type: ComplexSubject
  aap-normalized: equalityeconomicaspects
  source: subjects
  authoritative label: Equality--Economic aspects
  component list: sh85044503
  component list: sh99005484
  is member of MADS scheme: subjects
subject: sh85038551
subject: sh85064765
subject: sh85100836
subject: sh85104458
summary: Summary
  label: "Economic inequality is one of the most daunting challenges of our time, with public debate often turning to questions of whether it is an inevitable outcome of economic systems and what, if anything, can be done about it. But why, exactly, should inequality worry us? The Greatest of All Plagues demonstrates that this underlying question has been a central preoccupation of some of the most eminent political thinkers of the Western intellectual tradition. David Lay Williams shares bold new perspectives on the writings and ideas of Plato, Jesus, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx. He shows how they describe economic inequality as a source of political instability and a corrupter of character and soul, and how they view unchecked inequality as a threat to their most cherished values, such as justice, faith, civic harmony, peace, democracy, and freedom. Williams draws invaluable insights into the societal problems generated by what Plato called "the greatest of all plagues," and examines the solutions employed through the centuries. An eye-opening work of intellectual history, The Greatest of All Plagues recovers a forgotten past for some of the most timeless books in the Western canon, revealing how economic inequality has been a paramount problem throughout the history of political thought"-- Provided by publisher.
supplementary content: bibliography
supplementary content: index
table of contents: TableOfContents
  label: Plato: "the greatest of all plagues" -- The New Testament: "the eye of a needle" -- Thomas Hobbes: "too much abundance" -- Jean-Jacques Rousseau: "the ever-widening inequality of fortunes" -- Adam Smith: "a combination of the rich to oppress the poor" -- John Stuart Mill: "the widening breach" -- Karl Marx: "the social gulf" -- Conclusion: the lessons of canonical wisdom on inequality.
title: Title
  non sort num: 4
  main title: The greatest of all plagues