Send us Fan Mail Marx titled his magnum opus Das Kapital, yet he completely botched what capital actually is. Here's the real definition: capital is the power to influence the behavior of others—and it's generated not by factories or machinery but by converging desires. The moment two people want the same fish, that fish becomes capital. If Elon Musk survives nuclear apocalypse alone in a bunker with mountains of gold and machines, his capital is exactly zero—because capital exists in relatio...