Commoner

The common people, commoners, or the masses are the people who are neither rich nor have an exceptionally strong intellect. Socialists often describe themselves as champions of the common man, but libertarians beg to differ. Art Carden notes, "Under capitalism, the common man does not need an intellectual vanguard or a group of virtuous surrogates to make his decisions for him or to defend him against the rapacity of his fellows. He can do just fine without our help, thank you very much, and would be much obliged if we would go back to our ivory towers and leave him alone."

According to Ludwig von Mises, the common man's inferiority to the average businessman "manifests itself first of all in his limited ability to think, to work, and thereby to contribute more to the joint productive effort of mankind. Most people who satisfactorily operate in routine jobs would be found wanting in any performance requiring a modicum of initiative and reflection." For this reason, "a man of average intellectual abilities has no chance to rise to the rank of a captain of industry."