What is Self Agency ?

In the relentless machinery of capitalism, where ideas collide and fortunes are forged, a quiet revolution is underway. As artificial intelligence democratizes access to knowledge and problem-solving, raw intelligence—once the holy grail of achievement—fades in prominence. What emerges as the ultimate differentiator is agency: the unyielding drive to act, to seize opportunities, and to execute boldly in the face of uncertainty. This isn't a new concept; it's woven into the fabric of economic history. From the daring explorers of the Renaissance to the disruptive entrepreneurs of today, capitalism has always rewarded those who move decisively rather than those who merely think profoundly.

The argument for agency's supremacy over intelligence in capitalism stems from the system's core principles: risk-taking, innovation, and value creation through action. Intelligence can generate ideas, but without agency—the proactive will to implement them—those ideas remain inert. As Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator, recently posited in a viral discussion, AI is making "intelligence ubiquitous," elevating human agency as the scarce resource that drives success. In a world where bots can reason and analyze at superhuman speeds, it's the individuals with high agency who will thrive, pushing boundaries and turning visions into realities.Historical Foundations: Agency in the Annals of CapitalismTo appreciate agency's role, we must trace its roots in economic thought. Historical sources reveal that capitalism's architects and critics alike recognized action over mere intellect as key to prosperity. Adam Smith, in his seminal The Wealth of Nations (1776), emphasized the "invisible hand" guided by self-interested actions, not just intellectual planning. Smith's contemporaries, like the mercantilists, often lauded entrepreneurs who acted decisively in trade, even if their strategies weren't intellectually flawless.Fast-forward to the 19th century, and thinkers like Karl Marx critiqued capitalism as a system where capital itself acts as an "agential system," using money and labor to perpetuate growth. Marx didn't frame it in terms of individual agency versus intelligence, but his analysis implies that capitalist success hinges on the agency of owners to exploit opportunities, rather than pure intellectual superiority. In the 20th century, Joseph Schumpeter's concept of "creative destruction" further underscores this: innovation isn't just about smart ideas but about entrepreneurs with the agency to disrupt markets, often at great personal risk.More contemporary historical analyses, such as those examining racial capitalism, argue that "intelligence" has been weaponized as a tool of exclusion, while agency— the drive to act despite barriers—has enabled marginalized groups to carve out economic niches. Intellectuals, as Robert Nozick noted in his essay "Why Do Intellectuals Oppose Capitalism?" (1998), often disdain the system because it rewards practical action over abstract thought. Nozick posits that schools and universities prize verbal intelligence, but capitalism values the agency to apply knowledge in messy, real-world scenarios.These sources collectively paint capitalism not as a meritocracy of minds but as an arena where agency reigns. Intelligence provides the map; agency drives the journey. This dynamic was vividly apparent in the 16th century, an age when European powers expanded through exploration and trade, often led by individuals whose boldness outshone their brilliance.16th Century Exemplars: Bold Actions in an Age of DiscoveryThe 16th century marked the dawn of global capitalism, with the Age of Exploration opening new trade routes and colonies. Mercantile capitalism flourished, rewarding those who acted with audacity amid unknown perils. Intelligence—manifest in navigation skills or strategic planning—was valuable, but it was agency that turned potential into profit. Here, we delve into three figures whose life experiences illustrate this: Christopher Columbus, Hernán Cortés, and Jakob Fugger. Although these figures greatly disrupted the lives of countless people with murder pillage and unethical conduct, they had great agency - which we can all learn to adapt to our everyday life.Christopher Columbus: The Persistent VoyagerChristopher Columbus (1451–1506) embodies agency trumping intelligence in capitalist pursuit. Born in Genoa, Italy, Columbus was a skilled mariner with a flawed intellectual grasp of geography. He famously underestimated the Earth's circumference, believing Asia lay just 2,400 miles west of Europe—a gross miscalculation based on erroneous readings of ancient texts. Historians note that more intelligent scholars of the time, like those at the University of Salamanca, dismissed his plans as mathematically unsound. Yet, Columbus's agency shone through his relentless lobbying. Rejected by Portugal in 1486, he persisted, securing funding from Spain's Ferdinand and Isabella after years of petitions. His 1492 voyage wasn't a triumph of intellect but of sheer will: facing mutiny, scurvy, and uncharted waters, he pressed on. The result? Discovery of the Americas (from a European perspective), sparking transatlantic trade in gold, silver, and goods that fueled Spanish capitalism.Columbus's life experience teaches that in capitalism, agency compensates for intellectual shortcomings. He wasn't the smartest navigator—Ptolemy's maps were better understood by others—but his drive to act created immense value. By 1500, his actions had initiated the Columbian Exchange, a capitalist boom that reshaped global economies. Without his agency, the intellectual debates over geography might have lingered indefinitely.Hernán Cortés: The Audacious ConquerorHernán Cortés (1485–1547), the Spanish conquistador who toppled the Aztec Empire, offers another stark example. Cortés was educated in law at the University of Salamanca, possessing above-average intelligence for strategy. However, his success in Mexico stemmed not from superior intellect but from extraordinary agency in defying orders and seizing moments.In 1519, defying Governor Diego Velázquez's recall, Cortés burned his ships upon landing in Veracruz—a literal act of committing to action with no retreat. With just 500 men, he marched inland, allying with Aztec rivals through bold diplomacy. Intellectuals back in Spain debated the ethics and feasibility of conquest, but Cortés acted: he exploited divisions, used gunpowder innovatively, and navigated alliances with ruthless decisiveness.His conquest yielded vast silver mines, enriching Spain and kickstarting capitalist extraction in the New World. Cortés's agency—his willingness to risk execution for insubordination—outweighed any intellectual edge. As historical accounts detail, more learned explorers like Vasco Núñez de Balboa mapped regions intelligently but lacked Cortés's drive to conquer empires. In capitalism's lens, his actions created wealth flows that intelligence alone couldn't.Cortés's life, marred by controversy, highlights agency's double-edged sword: it drives capitalist success but can veer into exploitation. Nonetheless, his story affirms that in uncertain ventures like 16th-century exploration, agency propels fortunes where intellect hesitates.Jakob Fugger: The Mercantile MagnateShifting from exploration to trade, Jakob Fugger (1459–1525), the German banker known as "Fugger the Rich," exemplifies agency in financial capitalism. Fugger wasn't a polymath; his education was practical, focused on commerce rather than classical learning. Yet, his agency built the Fugger banking empire, which financed popes, emperors, and wars.In the early 1500s, Fugger acted decisively to monopolize copper and silver mines in Hungary and Tyrol, outmaneuvering competitors through aggressive loans and political maneuvering. When Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I defaulted on debts, Fugger's agency shone: he leveraged influence to secure mining rights, turning potential loss into dominance. Intellectual bankers of Venice debated usury and economics, but Fugger executed: by 1511, he controlled Europe's metal trade, amassing a fortune equivalent to 2% of Europe's GDP.Fugger's life experience underscores agency's role in capitalist accumulation. He innovated double-entry bookkeeping adaptations but thrived on bold investments, like funding Charles V's election as emperor in 1519. Historical sources on Renaissance trade note that while Italian merchants intellectualized global routes, Fugger's agency in Central Europe created a proto-capitalist conglomerate. His legacy: agency turns trade into empires, outpacing idle intelligence.These 16th-century tales reveal a pattern: capitalism in its nascent form favored doers over thinkers. Exploration and trade demanded action amid risks, where agency's fire ignited economic sparks.

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December 202521st Century Titans: Agency in the Digital AgeFast-forward to the 21st century, where capitalism is hyper-accelerated by technology. Intelligence is commoditized—AI tools like ChatGPT provide instant insights—but agency remains the human edge. Studies on founder personalities confirm this: successful entrepreneurs score high on "openness to adventure," a proxy for agency, over raw IQ. Here, three examples: Elon Musk, Sara Blakely, and Ryan Cohen.Elon Musk: The Relentless VisionaryElon Musk (born 1971), founder of Tesla and SpaceX, personifies agency over intelligence in modern capitalism. Musk is undoubtedly intelligent, with a physics degree, but his success isn't from being the "smartest"—plenty of physicists languish in academia. Instead, his agency—unwavering drive to act on audacious goals—has built a $1 trillion empire.In 2002, after selling PayPal, Musk poured his fortune into SpaceX, defying skeptics who called reusable rockets impossible. Facing three failed launches by 2008, bankruptcy loomed, but Musk's agency prevailed: he rallied teams, iterated designs, and secured NASA contracts. Tesla's story is similar—pushing electric vehicles when Detroit dismissed them as unviable.Musk's life experience, marked by 80-hour workweeks and public risks (like tweeting Tesla private in 2018), shows agency trumps intellect. As one analysis notes, "Intelligence helps solve problems; agency makes you seek them out." In capitalism, Musk's actions disrupted industries, creating value where intellectuals debated feasibility.Sara Blakely: The Tenacious InventorSara Blakely (born 1971), founder of Spanx, illustrates agency's power in consumer capitalism. Without a business degree or high IQ credentials— she failed the LSAT twice—Blakely's agency turned a personal frustration into a billion-dollar brand.In 1998, cutting feet off pantyhose for smoother lines, Blakely acted: she prototyped, patented, and cold-called manufacturers, facing rejections. With $5,000 savings, she bypassed intellectual market analyses, driving to Neiman Marcus to pitch directly. Her persistence landed Spanx in stores, scaling to $400 million in sales by 2012.Blakely's story echoes 16th-century merchants: agency in execution outweighs intelligence. While MBAs crunched numbers on apparel trends, Blakely acted, embodying "high agency beats high IQ every time." Her capitalist triumph proves action creates markets intelligence might overlook.Ryan Cohen: The Disruptive TraderRyan Cohen (born 1985), co-founder of Chewy and GameStop activist, showcases agency in e-commerce and finance. Not a genius inventor, Cohen's intelligence is solid, but his agency—spotting undervalued assets and acting aggressively—drove success.In 2011, at 26, Cohen bootstrapped Chewy, an online pet retailer, competing with Amazon through customer obsession. Selling for $3.35 billion in 2017, it was agency-fueled: relentless operations tweaks over intellectual innovation. In 2020, Cohen invested in GameStop, tweeting reforms and sparking a meme-stock revolution, boosting shares 1,700%.Cohen's life highlights agency's edge in 21st-century capitalism: while analysts intellectualized retail's death, he acted, turning GameStop profitable. His story affirms that in volatile markets, agency captures value intelligence misses.These modern examples mirror their 16th-century counterparts: agency drives capitalist wins in tech, retail, and finance.Conclusion: Embracing Agency in a Capitalist WorldThroughout history, from Renaissance voyages to AI-driven enterprises, capitalism has prized agency—the bold will to act—over isolated intelligence. As AI commoditizes smarts, agency's scarcity will define success. The lessons from Columbus, Cortés, Fugger, Musk, Blakely, and Cohen are clear: act decisively, and capitalism rewards.

In the words of Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral, "Many things we need can wait. The child cannot. Now is the time his bones are formed, his mind developed. To him we cannot say tomorrow, his name is today."  
This call to immediate action resonates, urging us to seize agency today in capitalism's relentless march.

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AuthorCampbell Kitts