Capitalism and society both focus on freedom and opportunity

The argument

Capitalism provides freedom and opportunity, and the case for it rests on showing that both are features of how the system is built rather than incidental benefits of it. Milton Friedman was one of the twentieth centuries’ most prominent advocates for the benefits of capitalism. He wrote that capitalism promotes personal and political freedom. The pairing is deliberate: the claim is not only that a market economy leaves people alone in their private lives, but that it changes how power is distributed in a society. Capitalism promotes individual freedoms in several ways. First, people set the price of goods through supply and demand, which means the terms of exchange emerge from what participants are willing to offer and accept rather than being announced to them. People have freedom of choice, and that choice is exercised continuously rather than at intervals. Also, capitalism values the right to private property, which gives an individual a domain in which their decisions are final and which no one else is entitled to direct. Political freedom is promoted by capitalism limiting the power of the government. The argument runs through the alternative. If the government sets prices or controls the factors of production, it would increase the power of the central government, concentrating in a single authority both the making of the rules and the disposal of the resources. Dispersing economic decisions keeps a check on political power that no constitutional provision by itself supplies. Capitalism promotes opportunity by rewarding hard work and innovation. It is merit-based; if the people want your product or service then you can succeed and be highly profitable, and that verdict is delivered by the people who choose to buy rather than by anyone's permission. People have the opportunity to achieve success using their skills, talents, and intelligence.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Capitalism does not promote opportunity. There is extreme wealth inequality; the wealth of the richest 1% of the population is equal to the wealth of the entire other 99% combined. Additionally, limited access to resources and opportunities (such as education and adequate nutrition and healthcare) from the start limits your ability to move up.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P3] Limited access to resources and opportunities (such as education and adequate nutrition and healthcare) from the start means there is not equal opportunity.