Difference between revisions of "What Is Property?"
From Critiques Of Libertarianism
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==Property Is Theft== | ==Property Is Theft== | ||
| − | Pierre-Joseph Proudhon famously declared that "Property is theft." He also said that property is liberty and property is impossible. These are shortcut expressions of philosophical points he made at much greater length. All describe different aspects of property: they only seem to contradict. | + | Pierre-Joseph Proudhon famously declared that "Property is theft." He also said that property is liberty and property is impossible. These are shortcut expressions of philosophical points he made at much greater length. All describe different aspects of property: they only seem to contradict. The translation by Benjamin Tucker is at: [[What Is Property? An Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government]]. |
All property reduces the liberty of all other people by threatening violence for use of the property. Violent confiscation of liberty is a theft of liberty. This isn't simply theft of an abstract, but rather theft of opportunity to freely use natural resources (for example.) This is true of other types of rights as well. | All property reduces the liberty of all other people by threatening violence for use of the property. Violent confiscation of liberty is a theft of liberty. This isn't simply theft of an abstract, but rather theft of opportunity to freely use natural resources (for example.) This is true of other types of rights as well. | ||
