Det fundamentale perspektiv, introduceret af tidlige markedsøkonomer, som Adam Smith, er at egeninteresse og konkurrence fører til social velfærd, altså at konkurrence skaber engagement, som motiverer folk til at fortsætte.
The fundamental perspective as put forth by early free market economists, like Adam Smith, is that self interest and competition leads to social prosperity, as the act of competition creates incentive, which motivates people to persevere.