Taking inspiration from the book "Capitalism" by Alberto Mingardi, we first try to summarize the true meaning that the author attributes to this system. Mingardi, in this regard, follows the historian Deirdre McCloskey, for whom capitalism is not only an unprecedented and accelerated process of capital accumulation, but also the genesis of a new ethos that produces the "culture of growth" and the "great enrichment". However, we ask ourselves whether there are schools of thought adequate to describe the capitalist system as Mingardi intends it. We also raise serious doubts about financial capitalism's ability to promote social harmony and peace. Finally, we observe how capitalism is at present moving from a competitive configuration to a substantially
corporative and oligopolistic one.
