Because so many of you have only dabbled with a study of Karl Marx and have been influenced by socialist academics and activists you have a knee-jerk reaction to capitalism. In many respects that is good but in some others it causes you to see demons where there are none and even worse, to misinterpret economic principles as exploitative tools in the hands of multinational corporations. We are all born with talents, skills and interests. Look deep into the word talent and you will see that it has, throughout history, been inextricably linked to trade and exchange. It is the commercialization of talent that is the base of every economy.
Every human being has intellectual and physical capital.
And it is this intellectual and physical capital, in the form of talents, skills and the ability to perform work that gives human beings value in the marketplace. Far too often, we hear the protesters speak of capital only in terms of finance and machinery owned by wealthy elites, and used to replace manual laborers. This is true and Karl Marx foresaw this and wrote about it. Sure, paper money and machinery are forms of capital but they are forms that grow out of the minds of human beings exercising their divine capital. What has made for poverty in the developing countries, in part, is the lack of education, the underdevelopment of markets and government created barriers and burdens in many instances.