--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The empirical evidence has been much…" description: "\"“The empirical evidence has been much harder on socialism. Economically, in practice the capitalist nations are increasingly productive and prosperous,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/stephen-r-c-hicks-12692_north-korea_the-empirical-evidence-has-been-much-har_1387060.jpg" --- # The empirical evidence has been much harder on socialism… ![“The empirical evidence has been much harder on socialism. Economically, in practice the capitalist nations are increasingly productive and prosperous, with no end in sight. Not only are the rich getting fantastically richer, the poor in those countries are getting richer too. And by direct and…” quote by Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/stephen-r-c-hicks-12692_north-korea_the-empirical-evidence-has-been-much-har_1387060.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/stephen-r-c-hicks-12692_north-korea_the-empirical-evidence-has-been-much-har_1387060.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/339/stephen-r-c-hicks-12692_north-korea_the-empirical-evidence-has-been-much-har_1387060.jpg) > ““The empirical evidence has been much harder on socialism. Economically, in practice the capitalist nations are increasingly productive and prosperous, with no end in sight. Not only are the rich getting fantastically richer, the poor in those countries are getting richer too. And by direct and brutal contrast, every socialist experiment has ended in dismal economic failure—from the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc, to North Korea and Vietnam, to Cuba, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.”” [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Capitalist economies have shown higher productivity and prosperity compared to socialist experiments, which have consistently failed economically. **In simple terms:** Capitalism outperforms socialism economically. Key Takeaway Recognize the evidence and consider policy implications. Themes economics politics prosperity inequality Mood analytical critical Type political economic When to use this quote - policy analysis - public debate - academic research - media commentary Key Concepts capitalism socialism economic productivity wealth distribution Questions to Reflect On - What policies can address wealth inequality within capitalism? - Can any socialist elements be integrated profit? A Different Perspective Capitalist success may mask underlying social issues; socialist failures vary by context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [North korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-korea/) [Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) ## Related quotes > [Modern capitalist nations are the fruit of a history of slavery, genocide, violence and exploitation every bit as abhorrent as Mao's China or Stalin's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/modern-capitalist-nations-are-the-fruit-of-a-history-of-slavery/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Jonestown was supposed to be a great socialist experiment, a place where all the evil "isms" would be eradicated: racism, sexism, elitism. 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It is more like leaving another universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/leaving-north-korea-is-not-like-leaving-any-other-country-it-is-more/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) ## More by Stephen R.C. Hicks > [“Nasty political correctness as a tactic then makes perfect sense. Having rejected reason, we will not expect ourselves or others to behave reasonably. Having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/nasty-political-correctness-as-a-tactic-then-makes-perfect-sense/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Marxism was and is a class analysis, pitting economic classes against each other in a zero-sum competition. In that competition, the stronger parties would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/marxism-was-and-is-a-class-analysis-pitting-economic-classes-against/) [Stephen R.C. 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Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [ “Given the pervasiveness of capitalism’s domination, the revolutionary vanguard can come only from those outcast intellectuals—especially among the younger students\[282\]—those who are able to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/given-the-pervasiveness-of-capitalism-s-domination-the-revolutionary/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“A variation on this strategy was implicit in a new definition of “poverty” that the Left began to offer in the early 1960s: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/a-variation-on-this-strategy-was-implicit-in-a-new-definition-of/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Postmodernism is the first ruthlessly consistent statement of the consequences of rejecting reason, those consequences being necessary given the history of epistemology since Kant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/postmodernism-is-the-first-ruthlessly-consistent-statement-of-the/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“From the postmodern anti-realist metaphysics and anti-reason epistemology, the postmodern social consequences follow almost directly. Once we set aside reality and reason, what are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/from-the-postmodern-anti-realist-metaphysics-and-anti-reason/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Yet it is also true, Hegel granted, that in many cases the individual’s freedoms and interests will genuinely be set aside, overridden, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/yet-it-is-also-true-hegel-granted-that-in-many-cases-the-individual-s/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Morally and politically, in practice every liberal capitalist country has a solid record for being humane, for by and large respecting rights and freedoms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/morally-and-politically-in-practice-every-liberal-capitalist-country/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“In our time, the world created by the Enlightenment is strong, active, and exuberant. For a while in the past century, socialists could believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/in-our-time-the-world-created-by-the-enlightenment-is-strong-active/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“Kunst ist Scheisse (Art is shit) was, fittingly, the motto of the Dada movement. Duchamp’s urinal was the fitting symbol. Everything is waste to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/kunst-ist-scheisse-art-is-shit-was-fittingly-the-motto-of-the-dada/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) > [“In effect, by rejecting high-tech socialism and substituting a vision of low-tech, egalitarian socialism, this new Left strategy also resolved to quote Marx less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-c-hicks/in-effect-by-rejecting-high-tech-socialism-and-substituting-a-vision/) [Stephen R.C. Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-c-hicks/) [Explore all 53 Stephen R.C. 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