Why “Luck” Doesn’t Explain Wealth and Success in the Marketplace

Many who do not understand markets, the division of labor, production, exchange, and profit—whether willingly or unwillingly—see no justification for unequal wealth and income because inequality can only result from nefarious activity or random luck. Many mock Adam Smith’s “invisible hand,” but they themselves seem to believe that another invisible hand of random luck or chance unevenly distributes benefits and deficits such that greater wealth and income are illegitimate. This invisible hand of luck is also determinative to the point that it is independent of purposeful action. Therefore