In the deep ocean of the capitalist economy, absolute surplus value and relative surplus value are the two main ways in which capitalists exploit the labour power of workers. These two methods not only reflect the essence of capitalist relations of production, but also reveal the intrinsic motivation of capitalists to pursue profit maximization under the capitalist economy.
First, let's understand absolute surplus value through the example of a traditional manufacturing firm. Suppose there is a textile mill that, in the early days of industrialization, worked up to 12 hours a day, or even longer, due to the limitations of production technology and equipment. Workers work long hours and with high intensity, creating value in excess of what is necessary for them, and this part of the value is absolute surplus value. The capitalists squeeze this extra value out of the workers by absolutely lengthening the working day or increasing the intensity of labor, thereby increasing their own profits.
However, with the advancement of production technology, especially automation and mechanization, the capitalists began to seek a more efficient way of exploiting – relative surplus value. In the case of textile mills, with the introduction of machinery and equipment and the improvement of production efficiency, tasks that would have taken 12 hours may now take only 8 hours. At this time, the capitalist does not reduce his working hours, but spends the remaining four hours on producing more products or other value-added activities. In this way, the capitalist obtains more surplus value by increasing the productivity of labor without increasing the working hours of the worker.
The production of relative surplus value presupposes an increase in the productivity of labour in society as a whole. In the later stage of capitalist development, especially after entering the era of information and intelligence, the production of relative surplus value became a common method adopted by capitalists. Through continuous technological innovation and industrial upgrading, capitalists continuously increase labor productivity, thereby creating more surplus value within the same working hours.
It should be pointed out that the essence of both absolute and relative surplus value is the exploitation of the surplus labor of workers by capitalists. Although these two methods differ in form, they are essentially the means by which capitalists pursue profit maximization. Under the capitalist economy, the capitalists have continuously increased the degree of exploitation through continuous technological innovation and institutional innovation, thus realizing the possession and domination of the surplus labor of the workers.
To sum up, absolute surplus value and relative surplus value are the two main ways in which capitalists exploit workers' labor power under a capitalist economy. These two approaches not only reveal the nature of capitalist relations of production, but also demonstrate the intrinsic motivation of capitalists to pursue profit maximization. In the course of the development of the capitalist economy, the capitalists have continuously increased the degree of exploitation through continuous technological innovation and institutional innovation, thus realizing the possession and domination of the surplus labor of the workers. However, this mode of exploitation has also led to the impoverishment and exploitation of the working class, exacerbating class contradictions in society. Therefore, we need to deeply analyze the nature and laws of exploitation under the capitalist economy in the study of political economy, so as to provide scientific theoretical guidance for the emancipation of the working class and the construction of socialism.