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.
Awards and Recognition
- A New Statesman Best of the Academic Presses for Autumn
- A Counterpunch Best Book of the Year
"Impressive…[Williams] shows that such wildly different figures all saw economic inequality as a grave political threat….He makes a persuasive case that these thinkers were right to be so troubled, and that we still have much to learn from their arguments and proposals….a welcome reminder that exploring the history of philosophy can also be an inquiry into the present world."—Nick Romeo, Washington Post
"Excellent."—Samuel Moyn, The Nation
"A Magnum Opus."—Lilly Goren, New Books Network
"I just loved the sweep of this book. It is a really comprehensive analysis of inequality in the thought of major figures in the history of political thought. . . . It’s a great contribution."—Jeffrey Church, Political Theory Review podcast
"Interesting and useful."—Choice
"Williams wants to show that economic inequality isn’t some peculiar fixation of the 21st century that can be easily dismissed by those who fancy themselves defenders of the Western canon. And in that, he succeeds magnificently."—Ben Burgis, Compact Magazine
"Williams’ thinkers confront us with powerful arguments against inequality: it degrades civilisation because it rewards greed at the expense of the community, ultimately destroying any basis for social cooperation and respect for the rule of law."—Justin H. Vassallo, UnHerd
"The Greatest of All Plagues often makes for bracing reading. It succeeds in taking figures who many of us might think we are familiar with, and shows us that we didn’t know them that well at all. Williams shows that economic inequality is not only the greatest of all plagues — it is also one of the longest lasting, such that many of the most influential thinkers of several epochs felt called upon to condemn it."—Matt McManus, Jacobin
"This well written retrieval of the tradition of the history of political thought offers a rich treatment of why and how economic inequality contributes to social disunity, political instability, and deep-seated personal and collective moral corruption."—Saint Raphaël Church
"Williams' insights, grounded in the wisdom of historical thinkers, offer a compelling argument for why economic inequality poses a danger to society. He demonstrates that the problem extends beyond mere economic disparities, impacting social cohesion, political stability, and individual well-being."—Jonathan Singer, Social Work podcast
"[T]he concerns that Williams raises via his chosen figures are significant, pressing, and far too often overlooked within contemporary debates that fail to take advantage of the riches offered by the history of political thought. This book is a major contribution and deserves a wide readership."—Dennis C. Rasmussen, Perspectives
"[A] thoughtful reconsideration of past thinkers’ views of economic inequality."—Andrew Robinson, Nature
"Superb."—Anne Phillips, Cambridge Review of International Affairs
"Most will already know that Jesus, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Karl Marx decried greed. Yet few are aware that Plato, Thomas Hobbes, Adam Smith, and John Stuart Mill also argued against the pernicious political and moral ills that excessive economic inequality brings. I learned a lot from Williams’ corrections and suspect you will also."—Jag Bhalla, Sublation Magazine
"An absolute intellectual feast."—Steven Durlauf, The Inequality Podcast
"Each chapter stands on its own and could be read with profit by anyone interested in these thinkers."—Eric Brandom, Liberal Currents
"As David Lay Williams brilliantly outlines in The Greatest of All Plagues, the conservative canon is riddled with thinkers that have registered objections to inequality. . . . Free market evangelists have treated economic egalitarianism as an invention of the political left. But Williams’s book suggests that this is simply wrong."—Jack Jeffrey, Fairness Foundation
"Splendid."—Branko Milanovic, Global Inequality and More 3.0 substack
"Excellent and timely."—Maria Bach, Economic Record
"An immensely learned book."—Samuel Piccolo, Review of Politics
"Insightful."—David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer
"Indeed Plato, Jesus, Hobbes and Smith are more often invoked by conservatives, but Williams convincingly demonstrates that despite their differences on other social and economic matters, they all understood that vast wealth gaps corrode the fabric of society, degrade politics and loosen family ties."—Dick Pountain, Political Quarterly
"Today’s free-market evangelists, for their part, ignore this history and continue to treat economic egalitarianism as an invention of the political left. But David Lay Williams helps us see their take as simply wrong. The casual dismissal of inequality by modern-age thinkers like Milton Friedman, Williams shows in The Greatest of All Plagues, constitutes a break from a rich conservative tradition that emphasises prudence, loyalty, and stewardship."—Will Snell, Inequality.org
"Timely. . . . Whether you are enthusiastic about pagan intellectual and political virtue, ecstatic about Biblical holiness, or cooly calculating about the benefits of peace and good order, you have good reason to join Williams in opposing the concentration of wealth and the consequent economic inequality."—William Clare Roberts, Political Theory
"The American political theorist David Lay Williams has . . . presented a history of ideas on economic inequality, which – “from Plato to Marx” – impressively reminds us that thinking about inequality is one of the classic themes in political philosophy."—Oliver Weber, Politik und Ă–konomie
"By drawing on thinkers such as Plato, Jesus, Hobbes, Rousseau, and Mill, Williams demonstrates that economic inequality is more like the bubonic plague than the cold. We need treatment and we need it now."—Terence Sweeney, Commonwealth Magazine
“Many are concerned about the yawning wealth gaps in America today. In this excellent and timely book, David Lay Williams shows that such concerns are not new but have worried philosophers of all stripes for more than two thousand years. You don’t have to be an egalitarian to worry that such inequalities can destroy our polities.”—Angus Deaton, author of Economics in America: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality
“David Lay Williams has done us all a service by forcing a confrontation with what has long been hiding in plain sight: a persistent critique of the perils of economic inequality at the very heart of the Western intellectual tradition. A meticulous excavation in the history of political thought, this is also a book very much for our own times.”—Darrin M. McMahon, author of Equality: The History of an Elusive Idea
“This wonderful book demonstrates how much the history of political thought has to teach us about the things that matter most. Williams expands our understanding of the viciousness of inequality, presenting a new way of describing a very old problem.”—Teresa M. Bejan, author of Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration
“This is an amazing and intellectually challenging book. Based on a rich historical analysis of philosophical writing, Williams’s argument that economic inequality is the ‘greatest of all plagues’ surely resonates at our moment of deep challenges to the combination of capitalism and democracy that has been at the center of our economic progress, political stability, and freedom for the past two centuries.”—Carol Graham, author of The Power of Hope: How the Science of Well-Being Can Save Us from Despair
“In this inspiring book, Williams shows us that if inequality has been around for a long time, the same is true for the critiques of it, and sometimes from surprising corners. In an era where scholars have done much to document the history of inequality, this book provides an innovative look into the evolution of thinking about what inequality means for a society.”—David Stasavage, author of The Decline and Rise of Democracy: A Global History from Antiquity to Today
“David Lay Williams provides us with a sweeping intellectual history of economic inequality from Plato to Marx that persuasively argues for its centrality for political theory. This insightful book explains in fascinating detail why and how great wealth disparities should influence the convictions about justice of people from diverse religious, political, and economic backgrounds.”—Michelle Schwarze, author of Recognizing Resentment: Sympathy, Injustice, and Liberal Political Thought
“Economic inequality has always been with us to some degree, and as this excellent and meticulously researched book demonstrates, it has always troubled many among us, including some of the greatest thinkers in Western history from Plato to Adam Smith. Inequality matters.”—Guido Alfani, author of As Gods among Men: A History of the Rich in the West
