The Enigma of Capital

David Harvey

Why I looked at this book

I see two strange things about capitalism. Firstly why is it so associated with inequality? There's no reason why those who are living off the income from their investments should be better off than those who earn their income. Why aren't pensioners seen as the bedrock of capitalism? Secondly, capitalism suggests that every costly item should "pay it's way" by giving a certain return on its cost. But if you've bought a $20,000,000 painting, does it make sense to expect, say $1,000,000 worth of benefit from looking at it each year?

Will this book deal with these questions? Probably it will be more about political issues, but I'll have to see.