Marginality and the insignificance of choice

Abstract

[Excerpt] Adam Smith was a man of his age. Despite the wisdom in describing the principles of moral approbation underlying the science of human nature,2 he shared with his contemporaries the belief that marginal people “chose” to depend on the benevolence of others. The picture evoked resembles a Dickensian portrait of the beggars, prostitutes, and barefoot children that populated the streets of Great Britain during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution – those we imagine imploring for a penny, or worse offering their body or labor for meager pay.