But the grisly story of abusing children as a way of life is hidden most in modern economic thought. Children's lives only count to this value system to the extent that they have money-demand to buy profitable commodities. The ruling principle of market distribution is that supply is to meet demand. It follows that any oversupply of labour must be reduced to meet this demand. Like any other commodity, human life too must cease to be produced in the market when it is not in demand.
Children demand food and other life-goods without paying a price.
Smith's prescription of death for children anticipates social Darwinism in its explanatory logic. Today as market and neo-Darwinian doctrines increasingly structure social and scientific thought, it is important to recognize this inner logic. Note that this logic fits perfectly with corporate globalization, whose overriding imperative is to reduce input costs and increase output revenues, whatever the costs to the lives of children . Rising hundreds of thousands of African children have died as a direct consequence of structural adjustment programs to conform to this program. Children across the world have been increasingly deprived of primary and secondary education by the same prescriptions.