Societal Perceptions of Physicians: Knights, Knaves, or Pawns?

The British economist Julian Le Grand suggested that public policy is grounded in a conception of humans as “knights,” “knaves,” or “pawns.”¹ Human beings are motivated by virtue (knights) or rigid self-interest (knaves) or are passive victims of their circumstances (pawns). A society's view of human motivation influences whether it builds public policies that are permissive, punitive, or prescriptive.