In this chapter, I explore the virtues of capitalism. I begin by acknowledging that exploring the virtues of capitalism is not in vogue, politically or in the academy. I present evidence, however, illustrating the reduction in extreme poverty throughout the world since the proliferation of industrial capitalism. This reduction in poverty has been uneven, bringing inequalities in the reduction of poverty. In the last forty years, levels of extreme poverty have stagnated or even increased. Although much of the world has benefited from increased prosperity, many have not. I then present evidence illustrating correlations between the increase in global prosperity from capitalism and increases in educational achievement and life expectancy, and decreases in child mortality. I next discuss the process of creative destruction as a driver of capitalism and, ultimately, prosperity – and how this process allowed India and China to escape mass poverty and emerge as economic powerhouses. In contrast to dominant discourse, recent evidence from Branko Milanovic suggests that the economic rise of China and India has led to reduced global inequality.