PHIL384 - Property Rights

Components of a Right (concept)

Liberty (permission to act), injunction (protection against interference), and enforcement privilege (right to resist interference).

Property as a Bundle of Rights (concept)

Ownership entails multiple entitlements—use, exclusion, transfer—rather than one absolute claim.

Natural vs. Legal Rights (distinction)

Natural rights exist prior to law; legal rights are state-recognized protections or privileges.

Self-Ownership (Locke)

Each person owns their body and labor, forming the basis for property claims.

State of Nature (Locke)

The Earth is held in common; property arises when individuals mix labor with resources.

Labour-Mixing Argument (Locke)

Mixing one's labor with unowned nature makes it one's property.

Lockean Provisos (Locke)

Appropriation is just only if there is "no spoilage" and "enough and as good" left for others.

Justice in Transfer (Locke)

Property remains legitimate if voluntarily exchanged between rightful owners.

Private Property Justification (Locke)

Work adds value to nature; ownership rewards productivity and incentivizes improvement.

Justice as Convention (Hume)

Property rights arise from social conventions that preserve peace and cooperation, not natural law.

Artificial Virtue (Hume)

Justice is learned and maintained through custom and mutual advantage, not innate morality.

Scarcity & Stability (Hume)

Rules of property emerge because goods are scarce and human needs constant.

Utility of Property (Hume)

Ownership ensures stability and industry; justice maintains social order.

Property's Moral Basis (Hume)

The moral sense of justice develops once societies stabilize and depend on possession rules.

Primitive Accumulation (Marx)

The violent historical process by which capitalists expropriated land and means of production from the commons.

Means of Production (Marx)

Tools, land, and capital used to produce goods—ownership defines class relations.

Class Division (Marx)

Bourgeoisie own capital; proletariat sell labor. Property divides these groups.

Alienation (Marx)

Workers are estranged from their labor, its products, and their human potential under capitalism.

Exploitation (Marx)

Capitalists extract surplus value from workers' labor; profit reflects unpaid work.

Critique of Property (Marx)

Private ownership of production is the root of inequality and alienation.

Natural Earth Rights (Paine)

The Earth is common property; private ownership of land creates moral debt to society.

Compensated Emancipation (Paine)

Landowners owe payment to the community for enclosing common land.

Land Value Tax (Paine)

Proposed national fund supported by land rents to reduce poverty and inequality.

Equality of Birthright (Paine)

Every individual has a natural entitlement to the Earth's resources.

Private Property in Land (George)

The root cause of poverty; land monopoly lets owners collect unearned wealth.

Labor Theory of Property (George)

Only labor creates legitimate ownership; nature itself cannot be owned.

Land vs. Improvements (George)

Distinguishes wealth (product of labor) from land (gift of nature).

Unequal Distribution (George)

Arises because land's value increases with community growth, not individual effort.

Land Value Tax (George)

A single tax on land rent can restore equality and efficiency without harming production.

Georgism (George)

Proposal to make land common property by taxing rent for public use.

Deadweight Loss Solution (George)

Land tax raises revenue without discouraging work or investment.

Economic Justice (George)

Everyone should share in nature's bounty; rent belongs to the community.

Marx's Historical Materialism (theory)

Economic structure determines politics and ideology; property relations evolve historically.

Georgism vs. Marxism (contrast)

George seeks reform through taxation; Marx demands abolition of private property.

Communism (ideology)

Abolish private property entirely and establish collective ownership.

Socialism (ideology)

Collective or public ownership of production to promote equality.

Liberalism (ideology)

Protect private property within the rule of law and individual rights.

Conservatism (ideology)

Preserve established ownership and gradual social change.

Libertarianism (ideology)

Limit state interference and maximize private ownership rights.

Anarchism (ideology)

Reject both state authority and hierarchical property relations.

Rights Enforcement (theory link)

Property rules solve a Prisoner's Dilemma by encouraging mutual trust and cooperation.