Capitalism vs free markets?

[Michael]

Is there a distinction between free markets and capitalism? How are they different, or are they exactly the same?

[264]

without one you don't have the other, they go hand in hand

[Asdru..]

Capitalism needs the markets to decide in which of them put the money to work, it is not necessarily the were free. Just have to be freedon in capitalism to make to select that the capitalist want to do.

Free markets are just a tool of capitalist economic system...we can not say if a pencil is the same or not than the writter...just the pencil is a tool of a writter...

[John M]

From Wiki: Capitalism refers to an economic and social system in which the means of production are predominantly privately owned, are operated for profit, and in which investments, distribution, income, production and pricing of goods and services are determined through the operation of a market economy.

a free market economy is an economic system in which individuals, rather than government, make the majority of decisions regarding economic activities and transactions. In social philosophy, a free market economy is a system for allocating goods within a society: purchasing power mediated by supply and demand within the market determines who gets what and what is produced, rather than the state.

From me:

Its important to note that individuals and groups can attempt to corner markets or otherwise influence them in ways that many people feel are not conducive to the public good. Therefore, even in capitalist societies there are many controls in place to protect markets from undo influence for the benefit of a few at the expense of the many. A truly free market is rare and often brutal. An almost free market is a powerfully efficient method of pricing goods and services.