So capitalism isn't a system of the private ownership of property (e.g. the means of production) and the free exchange of goods and services?

Being rich requires the existence of poor people because it is a relative, not an absolute, term.

Interesting, I think of it as absolute. For instance, the fact that I don't have to worry about food, shelter, clothing etc. and also have a multitude of luxuries at my disposal makes me consider myself rich. I don't look at the guy making more than me and feel poor.

Therefore, since the gap between rich and poor is increasing, one can reasonably conclude (without any data) that you are distorting factual reality for the sake of ideology.

OK, so then can we distinguish between inequality and wealth?

you illustrate how wages and personal wealth has increased on average, but you steer well clear of explaining the effect inflation has had on the price of goods and services over time

You probably don't remember this but I'm against central banking and fiat currency which are the drivers of inflation. Note also that such increases are in terms of purchasing power, which means inflation is accounted for (1).

you illustrate how wages and personal wealth has increased on average, but you steer well clear of explaining the effect inflation has had on the price of goods and services over time, and indeed of explaining how averages even work in the first place! If there are ten of us and one of us earns a million bucks a year while the other 9 earn nothing, the average wage between us is 100,000 per year.

Well actually, my source demonstrated that there were less people in extreme poverty, since I imagined that demographic would be more of interest to you for the reason you are giving here.

Sources:

(1) https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty

Must be I responded to another one of your aliases because I sure would not waste my time debating a hateful anti Christian bigot.