1. Capitalism, depending upon your point a view, is a many-splendored thing or a hydra-headed monster – or some combination of both: in any case, as multi-dimensional as can be. For an introduction to capitalism’s historical and contemporary complexities, consider the excellent book of readings by Richard C. Edwards, Michael Reich, and Thomas Weisskopf (eds.), The Capitalist System (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1986).