"The general fact of surplus value, namely that the workmen does not get the full value of his labours, and that he is taken advantage of by the capitalist, is obvious"

Edward Carpenter's quote reflects an important perspective on the characteristics of labor and capital, rooted in Marxist economic theory. The principle of surplus value is central to Marxist reviews of industrialism. It explains the process through which workers produce value in excess of their own labor's cost, which is then appropriated by capitalists. Essentially, workers are paid less than the worth of what they produce, with the surplus being retained as revenue by the capitalist who owns the means of production.

Carpenter's assertion that "the workman does not get the full value of his labours" highlights the fundamental inequality in capitalist systems. Workers exchange their labor for incomes, but those earnings generally represent just a portion of the value developed through their work. The distinction between the labor's full value and the incomes paid is the surplus worth, which ends up being profit for the employers or company owner. This process is considered as exploitative due to the fact that it indicates that workers are not relatively made up for their contributions.

"The general fact of surplus value" being "obvious" recommends that Carpenter sees this exploitation as a clear and obvious element of capitalist societies, probably manifesting through wage disparagement, wealth disparities, and the build-up of capital by a minority. The phrase "taken advantage of by the capitalist" underscores a moral judgment on this plan, insinuating that industrialism naturally involves the exploitation of labor.

Carpenter's commentary can be situated within broader social and historical critiques of industrialization and industrialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Industrial industrialism brought significant technological and financial developments but likewise resulted in stark social inequalities and labor injustices. Critics like Carpenter required more fair systems, promoting for labor reforms, socialism, or cooperative motions where profits and benefits of labor might be dispersed more justly amongst those who really produced the value.

In contemporary discussions, these styles continue to resonate as arguments over earnings inequality, workers' rights, and commercialism's nature persist, making Carpenter's observations as appropriate today as they were in his time.