Even Karl Marx—and yes, Ludwig von Mises makes a similar point from the opposite side—recognized that capitalism isn’t some optional detour but the necessary engine that develops the productive forces socialism depends on. Marx’s own framework (historical materialism) treats capitalism as a stage you must pass through before anything like socialism or communism is even structurally possible. So if someone is stuck denouncing capitalism while living entirely inside it, they’re not resisting the process—they’re stalled within it. In that sense, capitalism isn’t a bug in the system; it’s the system doing exactly what Marx said it would do. Complaining about it without advancing beyond it just proves the point. davisvanguard.org/2026/04/c…