One economist argued that taking longer to build things creates capital

A closer look

In a world obsessed with immediate gratification, Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk built an entire economic theory around doing things the hard way. He argued for "roundaboutness," suggesting that taking the time to build a fishing net rather than catching fish with your bare hands is the true origin of capital interest. It sounds like basic common sense, but it sparked a fiery, decades-long academic blood feud with Marxist economists over whether capital actually produces value or just exploits labor.