The Neglected Agent: Justice, Power, and Distribution in Adam Smith

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to argue that in Adam Smith, the right to subsistence is a natural right and that the reasons why it failed to reach the statute books are predominantly political. The concentration of political power in the hands of property owners and the various forms of economic dependency created by economic developments have generated, in Smithʼs view, a discrepancy between positive law and natural justice. It is upon this discrepancy that the difference of opinion lies with regard to the more general question of whether distributional matters are part of Smithʼs notion of justice. At the heart of Smithʼs analysis of all aspects of society stands the socially conditioned individual agent. The effi ciency of natural liberty as well as its morality rests on the prudent behavior and tempered attitudes of agents. The invisible hand of The Theory of Moral Sentiments suggests that the presence of private property, or more broadly stated, that of wealth inequality, does not necessarily deprive anyone of lifeʼs

Adam Smith on the subordination of wage-earners in the commercial society

“…Moreover, Smith adds that men are naturally inclined to "respect an established authority and superiority in others, whatever they be" (LJ(A), v.119, 318). 36 On this subject, Witztum and Young (2006) claim that for Smith the right of subsistence constitutes a natural right (p. 442) mentioning the possibility of a "right to rebel" when the poor are unable to obtain or earn their subsistence (p. 453). 37 It is meaningful to note that, conversely, Smith remains silent about the possible loss of profit suffered by capitalists when the factory is stopped.…”

Adam Smith and the Need of the Poor: A Rejoinder

“…The fact that the rights of the propertyless have not been enshrined by law is not a reason to believe that they are not the object of justice. The purpose of my paper with Young (2006) was to show how, in Smith, the relationship between that which has been legislated and that which is just is quite tenuous. The most obvious examples for this are Smith's treatment of the laws on primogeniture and slavery.…”

Adam Smith on Justice and the Needs of the Poor

“…Witztum and Young (2006) also think that Smith argued for the right of necessity, but they base their case that Smith allowed ''a perfect right to avoid starvation'' on Smith's discussion of the corn trade in the Wealth of Nations. He is discussing circumstances in which a whole society faces either total destruction or extreme shortages, and where the rules of justice cease to have any purpose.…”