The formula M–C–M′ explains how capitalists grow wealth by starting with money (M), buying commodities (C) like labor power and raw materials, and ending with more money (M). The difference between M and M′ is surplus value, created when workers produce more value than the wages they receive. Jalée shows that this system works because capitalists pay for “necessary labor time” but benefit from the extra hours of surplus labor, which they don’t pay for. In simple terms, money becomes capital when it is used not to meet needs but to generate profit, and this cycle repeats, ensuring that wealth keeps accumulating for the capitalist class.
Cherub A. – Discussion 4.2
1. Reading 4.3 explains that owners and employees differ mainly in how they earn their income. Owners, or the “owning class,” live mostly off property income such as stocks, bonds, real estate, or other investments. They do not have to rely directly on wages to survive. For example, a wealthy shareholder who collects dividends from Apple stock belongs to this group. On the other hand, employees live off wages, salaries, and fees that come from selling their labor. A teacher, a cashier at Walmart, or a nurse in a hospital would be examples of the employee class. The key distinction is whether one’s survival comes from ownership of wealth or from working for wages.
2. The quote by Adam Smith emphasizes that labor is the true source of all value in society. Everything that is produced or consumed has labor behind it. At the same time, workers rarely receive the full fruits of their labor, since a portion of what they produce is taken as profit by owners. In other words, labor creates wealth, but the people doing the work often remain dependent on employers for survival. Smith’s point highlights both the centrality of labor in the economy and the unfairness of how it is rewarded.
3. Reading 4.4 argues that class should not be understood as an identity, like race, gender, or religion. Instead, class is a structural relationship in society. Being “working class” is not about personal culture, clothing, or lifestyle, it’s about the economic position of having to sell your labor to survive. Similarly, being part of the owning class is about controlling wealth and resources. Class, therefore, is less about who we are as individuals and more about how we are positioned in relation to power, dependency, and exploitation in the economy.
4. The argument that “class structures are built around a close form of dependency” means that workers and owners depend on each other, but not equally. Workers depend on owners for wages so they can pay rent, buy food, and survive. Owners depend on workers to create goods and services that generate profit. However, the power balance favors owners because they can more easily replace workers than workers can replace the source of their income. A good example is Amazon warehouse labor: workers rely on Amazon for their paycheck, while Amazon relies on them to move products. Yet Amazon has far greater power in the relationship, which shows how dependency in class structures is unequal.
Cherub A.- Discussion 4.1
1.Both readings agree that class is about more than money, it shapes people’s life chances. But while one focuses more on neighborhood differences, the other highlights the bigger picture of inequality across New York City.
2.Looking at the station closest to me, I notice that the surrounding area reflects a mostly working-class community. Most people rent apartments, rely on public transportation, and work in service jobs. This matches what Reading 4.1 said about how class is visible in neighborhoods. I’m not surprised by the result, but it does feel accurate.
3.Reading 4.2 shows that NYC is deeply divided by class. Wealth is concentrated in a few neighborhoods, while working-class and immigrant communities are clustered in outer boroughs. This reinforces inequality and makes it clear that class shapes where people live and the resources available to them.
Cherub A.- Discussion post 5.1
- Means of production and labor, In computer science terms, the means of production are like the hardware and frameworks that make programming possible servers, compilers, and libraries. Labor is the actual coding done by the developer. For example, a programmer writing algorithms in Python (labor) relies on the IDE, compiler, and machine (means of production) to create working software.
- Value is like the functional output of a program. Raw code in a repository or idle hardware has little worth until it is executed to solve a problem. The usefulness of software, such as a fast algorithm or a reliable app, reflects the labor embedded in its design and execution.
3. Labor directly creates value, much like CPU cycles create program output. Without the programmer’s effort, the tools alone cannot produce working code. The amount of socially necessary labor time put into development determines how valuable the final product is to others.
4. Labor power is like the CPU’s processing capacity, while labor is the actual execution of instructions. Workers sell their ability to work (labor power), but what gets executed, the actual coding tasks is determined by the employer. The employer captures the results, much like a system owner controls the output of processes run on their hardware.
5. Surplus value is the difference between what a worker is paid and what their work produces. In CS terms, a programmer may be paid for 8 hours of coding, but the software they create could generate far more revenue for the company. That extra profit, like unused CPU cycles repurposed for other tasks, becomes surplus value for the owner rather than the worker.
Cherub A.- Discussion post 3.2
- A RSA (Repressive State Apparatus)iS any institution that maintain order through coercion. Althusser calls it repressive because it uses violence, threats, or direct control to keep people in line with the states interests. For example police, military, prisons, and the court system. For instance, when police arrest protesters, that’s an RSA in action.
2. An ideological state apparatus is an institution that spreads beliefs, values, and norms to make people “voluntarily” accept the states system. They don’t use force directly but instead shape how people think so they “consent” to authority. For example, They work by teaching vaules that make people fit in society without needing constant force. Schools, media, religion, and family.
3. RSA- CONTROLS PEOPLE MAINLY THROUGH Force and coercion, ISA- THROUGH Ideas and beliefs.
4. Example of an ISA: Public schools teaching students to stand and recite the pledge of allegiance.
Example of an RSA: A government sending police to break up a strike.
Cherub A.- Ideology
- Ideology is more than belief, it’s an order or system of thinking that governs how individuals and communities live. Ideology is like a framework, language, or mindset that shapes principles, decision-making, and the culture of human beings or any other existence. For example, If someone lives by the ideology of materialism, they will measure success by wealth and possessions. But if they live by the ideology of the kingdom of God, they will value service, righteousness, and transformation. Ideology is not just abstract, when something is repeated, modeled, and embraced, it shapes the way people think and act, even at the societal level.
2. Conservatives and liberals are divided by the kind of ideology they live by. Conservatives embrace an ideology of liberty and limited government, believing too much control threatens freedom. Liberals embrace an ideology of equality and active government, believing that society should step in to help the vulnerable. Both are examples of ideologies become “systems of thought” that influence whole societies. They are like “dominant mindsets” that shape law, culture, and how people interact. Furthermore, conservatives argue for lower taxes, while liberals argue for higher taxes on the wealth.
3. Althusser said ideology is reproduced in everyday life through institutions like schools, family, and media. He said Ideology works “behind the scenes” to reproduce the social order, often without people realizing it. For example, prayer is form of ideology practice in family’s usually.
