The Humble Libertarian original

Existential Comics claims capitalism sounds absurd if you try to explain it to a hypothetical alien: "Imagine explaining Capitalism to a [sic] alien: 'Well...a few people own everything, and for 40 hours a week everyone else has to do what they say.'" Wrong. Actually that sounds a lot more like socialism. Anyway, here's how I would explain capitalism to an alien: "Our human ancestors were very brilliant. They discovered the future. No other animal on our planet has yet. Then they discovered they could bargain with the future. They realized they could save some of what they produced instead of just consuming it all. They also realized they could turn their surplus time and resources into specialized tools that would increase their productivity so they could make better or more goods that they value and which improve their lives in less time or at less expense. That is capital. Capitalism is the spectacularly productive economy built...

When you have the great foresight not to consume every resource you've got, what's left over becomes savings. When you have the great insight to trade your savings for tools that make you more productive, your savings become capital. Why Capitalism Is Good Capital is what makes work a little or a lot easier on you, and the key to getting ahead is spending less on consumption and investing more on capital. Most people consume right up to their limit, and they stay poor or middle class forever. Those who have great success in life are usually those who create more for the rest of the world than they consume. Capitalism's Characteristics Resources find their way into such a person's hand in great amounts because they will grow in that person's care. Most of us are more or less given exactly as much as we can be trusted to be responsible with in this world. For many of us that's just enough not to die or riot each month. For a very few of us th...

The ever insightful Dr. Jordan Peterson at the University of Toronto explains exactly why high income earners make so much while social justice warriors who complain about them online make so little, while analyzing the choices and motivations of young female lawyers and the reasons for the income gap between men and women. Absolutely recommended viewing for anyone who really wants to understand why some people make more money than others: