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The [means of production](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Means_of_production) are non-human inputs that help create economic value, such as **factories, industrial machinery, workplaces, large tracts of land**, etc. The means of production are the means of life. Socialists refer to the means of production as *capital*, or [private property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_ownership), IE, the things which give the people who own them power over those who don't. Private property in the socialist context shouldn't be confused with [personal property](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_property#Personal_versus_private_property), such as your home, car, computer, and other possessions, which would be protected. Private property is in actuality a weasel-word for *absentee property*, whose ownership is claimed through title only (and not use), for the purpose of extracting rent from the *actual* users, occupants, or workers.
In a capitalist society the means of production are owned and controlled privately, by those that can afford them (the capitalist, aka those with capital). Production is carried out to **benefit the capitalist** (production for profit). Workers are paid a wage, and **receive that amount regardless of how much value they produce**. Socialists call this difference the [surplus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_value), IE (worker value added - wage paid), or profit. A 1983 report by England national income and expenditures found that on average, 26 minutes of every hour worked(or 43% of labor value added) by English workers across a wide range of industries went to various exploiting or unproductive groups, with workers receiving only 57% of their pre-tax productive output as wages<sup>[1](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/new_socialism.pdf)</sup>. In other words, at least **40%** of the work you do every day is stolen.
In a capitalist society the means of production are owned and controlled privately, by those that can afford them (the capitalist, aka those with capital). Production is carried out to **benefit the capitalist** (production for profit). Workers are paid a wage, and **receive that amount regardless of how much value they produce**. Socialists call this difference the [surplus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_value), profit, unpaid labor, or **wage theft**, IE:
`Wage Theft = Worker Value Added - Wage Paid`
A 1983 report by England national income and expenditures found that on average, **26 minutes of every hour worked** (or 43% of labor value added) by English workers across a wide range of industries went to various exploiting or unproductive groups, with workers receiving only 57% of their pre-tax productive output as wages<sup>[1](http://ricardo.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/new_socialism.pdf)</sup>. In other words, at least **40%** of the work you do every day is stolen.
Capitalists use the surplus to [push out competitors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-competitive_practices) and gain market share, leading to the destruction of most small businesses, with [just a few companies](http://imgur.com/a/xgnEp) controlling our food, media, energy, transportation, and finances.
[Wage workers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oztdRo9GLLk) are **completely dependent** on selling their labor power to those in control of production in order to gain access to the necessities of life (money for food, shelter, clothing, etc). Its similarities to chattel slavery has lead many to term wage work as [wage slavery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wage_slavery), with voluntary employment being simply a false choice between **one exploiter or another**.
Technological advancements, instead of benefiting workers, result in decreased or stagnant wages, worsening bargaining power, or mass layoffs. For example, a machine that replaces 10 workers results in their firing, resulting in a benefit for the machine owner, and a economic hardship to the fired workers.
###History, and Human Nature
Capitalism has nothing to do with human nature. People can be greedy, or cooperative, depending on the incentive structure and ideology of the socioeconomic system they live in, which is usually out of their control. For the vast majority of human history, small groups of people survived by foraging, growing, or hunting for food **as a community**, in a mode of life termed [primitive communism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primitive_communism). Communal sharing was essential to the survival of the group. Markets likewise were rare, since communities tended to be self-sufficient. Rituals, harvest festivals, a group of elders deciding fair distribution, or communal decision-making accomplished what markets do today. Private property(and male-dominated societies) came into existence with the growth of large-scale agriculture and animal domestication(A historically male-dominated activity). These tended to be passed on to male descendents(which in turn required strict female sexual control, isolation, and increasing objectification), aggregating into fewer and fewer land-owners, and creating class antagonisms between an owning, and a working class.