I've read the Basic Economics by the guy you suggested and it is quite obvious from just the first few pages that this book is being presented with an extremely premeditated and somewhat biased perspective. The subtitle, "A common sense guide to the economy" seems a little more appropriate as it implies some degree of non-objective perspective. However, the economic principles being presented as "common-sense" or even fact are often very debatable and in some instances, from this layperson's perspective, flat out wrong. As a side note, I work in shipping as a deck officer and I see first hand the effects of capitalism every single day and there aren't any positives that outweigh the negatives. Myth 1 Rich people have a higher impact on policies, law and taxes and ways to avoid them = inequality Myth 2 Capitalism caused that "deregulation" which simply allowed investment banks, commercial banks and insurance companies to be owned by the same holding company creating too-big-to-fail giants who needed the government to bail them out thus increasing the wealth gap. Myth 3 "A society needs to be wealthy before it can afford scrubbers on coal power stations" I don't need to tell you it could have been built with scrubbers in the first place as law but capitalism allowed it because it was cost effective. Myth 5A business needs to maximize profit continuously to keep being competitive so effective ways to pay workers less and even fire them even if their performance is top of the line are now the new policy since replacing people with automation makes wage paying a thing of the past Myth 4,6,7 Adam Smith and early proponents of capitalism believed a strong system of justice is essential to punish those who do not appropriately self-regulate their behaviors, and to reinforce contracts. Nothing in todays world can rival the ammount of corruption in the justice system which coincidentaly was a direct result of our "beloved" capitalism. Remember : "We need $700 billion, and we need it in three days." What's more, the plan stipulated, Paulson could spend the money however he pleased, without review "by any court of law or any administrative agency." That's the justice "capitalism" creates. It might sound good on paper but in the real world capitalism carries a different meaning. And I'm flexible to new ways of thinking as long as they make sense and feel like accurate descriptions.