In proportion to the mental energy he spent, the man who creates a new
invention receives but a small percentage of his value in terms of material
payment, no matter what fortune he makes, no matter what millions he earns. But
the man who works as a janitor in the factory producing that invention,
receives an enormous payment in proportion to the mental effort that his job
requires of him. And the same is true of all men between, on all levels of
ambition and ability. The man at the top of the intellectual pyramid
contributes the most to all those below him, but gets nothing except his
material payment, receiving no intellectual bonus from others to add to the
value of his time. The man at the bottom who, left to himself, would starve in
his hopeless ineptitude, contributes nothing to those above him, but receives
the bonus of all of their brains. Such is the nature of the “competition”
between the strong and the weak of the intellect. Such is the pattern of
“exploitation” for which you have damned the strong.