---
entity_slug: natural_rates_of_wages_profit_and_rent
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T06:00:59.703030'
overall_score: 4.0
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The definition clearly identifies natural rates as ordinary/average rates
    that form components of natural price, with specific reference to time and place.
    While it could be slightly more precise about how these rates are determined,
    it captures a distinct concept that Smith uses as a foundational building block.
- name: source_grounding
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity is directly grounded in Smith's text from Book I, Chapter
    7, with an exact quotation provided. Smith explicitly defines and uses this concept
    as central to his theory of natural price formation.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: '"Distribution" is the correct domain placement, as natural rates of
    wages, profit, and rent are fundamentally about how economic output is distributed
    among the factors of production. This is a core distributional concept in classical
    economics.'
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 2.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity represents a theoretical equilibrium concept that doesn't
    map well to any specific VSM system. It's more of an analytical tool for understanding
    price formation rather than an operational mechanism that would fit naturally
    into S1-S5.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity provides significant explanatory power by establishing the
    foundational components that determine natural prices in Smith's system. It illuminates
    the structural relationship between factor payments and commodity pricing, though
    it describes equilibrium states rather than dynamic mechanisms.
---

# Evaluation: Natural Rates Of Wages Profit And Rent

## definition_precision — 4.0 / 5.0

The definition clearly identifies natural rates as ordinary/average rates that form components of natural price, with specific reference to time and place. While it could be slightly more precise about how these rates are determined, it captures a distinct concept that Smith uses as a foundational building block.

## source_grounding — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity is directly grounded in Smith's text from Book I, Chapter 7, with an exact quotation provided. Smith explicitly defines and uses this concept as central to his theory of natural price formation.

## domain_placement — 5.0 / 5.0

"Distribution" is the correct domain placement, as natural rates of wages, profit, and rent are fundamentally about how economic output is distributed among the factors of production. This is a core distributional concept in classical economics.

## vsm_relevance — 2.0 / 5.0

This entity represents a theoretical equilibrium concept that doesn't map well to any specific VSM system. It's more of an analytical tool for understanding price formation rather than an operational mechanism that would fit naturally into S1-S5.

## explanatory_value — 4.0 / 5.0

This entity provides significant explanatory power by establishing the foundational components that determine natural prices in Smith's system. It illuminates the structural relationship between factor payments and commodity pricing, though it describes equilibrium states rather than dynamic mechanisms.
