Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system based on some very simple principles:


 * Creating scarcity is essential to sustain economic growth;
 * The means of production are privately owned;
 * The main purpose of producing goods or services is profit.

Competition lies often at the hearth of a capitalist-system.

Markets and Trade
Capitalism is not necessarily the same as trade. Arguably, trade is a way for distributing goods and services based on certain principles. Capitalism rather defines how those goods and services are produced. Through laws it shapes the conditions how trade, or the market, should operate.

Sharing and Capitalism
What is the relationship between sharism and capitalism. Does it exclude each-other; could they co-exist in the same system; are they complementary or maybe a combination of both is possible?

"Free Software is both inside and outside capitalism. On one hand, the social basis for Free Software clearly would not exist without a flourishing capitalism... On the other hand, Free Software is outside of capitalism because of the absence of scarcity and [because it is based on] self-unfolding instead of alienated labor in a command economy.'' -- Stefan Merten of the group Oekonux"