{"id":12691,"date":"2026-02-22T23:59:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T04:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/?p=12691"},"modified":"2026-02-22T18:48:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T23:48:44","slug":"muhammad-tauha-discussion-board-5-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/2026\/02\/22\/muhammad-tauha-discussion-board-5-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Muhammad Tauha – Discussion Board 5.1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. The video examines two primary concepts. The video examines two main concepts which include the means of production and labor. The means of production include all physical equipment needed for manufacturing which consists of machines and buildings and land and raw materials. A factory operates its machines and building and materials for producing different types of products. Labor exists as the human effort which people employ to produce different kinds of products and services. The process requires workers to use their physical strength and mental capabilities. A production line worker who assembles car parts performs labor in the same way that a baker who mixes ingredients and bakes goods in a kitchen operates his work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The video explains that value is the worth of an item based on the labor required for its production. According to Marxist theory, value exists because people create things through their physical work, which people use and need. The value of an object depends on the time required for its creation and the effort needed and the skills needed to produce it. The value of a handmade table arises from its practical function and the multiple hours that a person dedicated to cutting and shaping and assembling the wood. The labor involved in its creation gives it value.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The connection between labor and value establishes direct relationships. The video explains that labor is what actually creates value in a product. Production gains efficiency through machines and tools which function as means of production yet these tools do not generate new value because they only transfer existing value throughout their operation. Human labor creates new value through its application to raw materials. Wood by itself possesses inherent value. The value of wood increases when a worker uses their labor to transform it into a chair. The worker\u2019s labor is what creates that additional value.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. The video establishes a primary difference between two terms which are labor and labor power. The definition of labor includes all work performed by an individual from building a cellphone to creating baked bread. The term labor power refers to the total work capacity that a person possesses. Under capitalism workers sell their labor power to employers who pay them wages instead of selling the products they create. The warehouse employee provides their work capacity to the employer for the duration of an 8-hour shift which they perform. The company utilizes this labor power to create marketable products which generate revenue for the business.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Surplus value exists when an employee creates greater value through their work than the company pays them in wages. A shoe factory worker who receives $100 for daily work produces shoes which generate $500 in sales. After the company deducts its expenses for materials and machinery 300 of that amount comes from the employee’s work. The employer retains $200 as surplus value because the worker received only $100 in payment. This concept helps explain how wealth is distributed between social classes in capitalist systems.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":11419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discussion-board-5-1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12691"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12694,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12691\/revisions\/12694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/pol-100-0505-spring-2026-introduction-to-american-government\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}