“We are not passive. We act, we imagine, we choose—and all of that is economics,” says Francisco Capella. Drawing on his background in biology, physics and economics, Capella paints a layered portrait of the human condition – revealing people as autonomous, energy-seeking agents.

In this episode of Beyond Economics and Back, Capella joins Elena Leontjeva, President of the Lithuanian Free Market Institute, to explore a radical yet simple idea: economics is not about numbers or graphs – it’s about life. Every living being must act to survive. But humans go further – we imagine, plan, cooperate, and trade. And that’s where economics truly begins. Scarcity, he argues, is not a flaw to be removed – it’s a fact that defines us. We lack, so we act. And every action is both practical and moral. How do we get what we need without harming others? Why does voluntary exchange create more value, not less? What happens when we confuse morality with victimhood, or freedom with control?

His interdisciplinary lens and scientific clarity reveal a striking, multifaceted image of the human being – both deeply rational and profoundly moral. He explains how markets, at their best, are not mechanical systems, but moral frameworks – built on trust, responsibility, and cooperation.

In this episode of Beyond Economics and Back, physicist, biologist, economist, and founding member of both the Instituto Juan de Mariana and the Universidad de las Hespérides, Francisco Capella and Elena Leontjeva reflect on what it means to live well in a world where we will always lack something—and why that lack can be a source of freedom, not fear.