Criticizing capitalism is easy when capitalism is defined by its critics.

Comment “Capitalism” and we’ll send you an article that explores this further. Too many debates begin by attributing positions to thinkers like Hayek and Friedman that they did not actually hold, then judging markets against those caricatures. A better test is empirical. Marx predicted worsening conditions for workers, longer working hours, and growing exploitation. Yet economic history shows rising living standards, dramatic declines in working hours, and broad gains for workers across market economies. Capitalism should be criticized where criticism is deserved. But serious criticism requires understanding what its defenders actually argue and testing competing theories against evidence. Economic ideas should survive because their predictions hold up, not because their accusations are repeated often enough.