I got rid of this first paragraph for several reasons:
Capitalism is typically and generally defined as an economic system where the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit; investment, pricing, and distribution decisions are privately made rather than instituted by state control, and a free market exists for goods and services.
First, "typically" and "generally" are weasel words.  This definition represents RJII's point of view, and violates our neutral poiint of view.  Second, I do not agree that capitalism is an economic system; there are many scholars who argue that it is not an economic system, and an NPOV description of capitalism can't make an assertion that represents one point of view.  Third, there are non-capitalist societies where the means of production are privately owned, and some scholars argue that capitalism threatens the private ownership of capital, so again this definition is inaccurate or at best violates NPOV policy.  Fourth, it is just poorly written, the second and third clauses are redundant.  Fifth, it leaves out what many consider the defining feature of capitalism, which is the commoditization of labor.  Any definition with this many problems has to go.    |  Talk  17:42, 30 Mar 2005 (UTC)