hello
Locke argues that private property is based on self-ownership
that private property is a natural right that comes form labor
“Whatsoever then he removes out of the state that nature hath provided, and left it in, he hath mixed his labour with, and joined to it something that is his own, and thereby makes it his property.”
so if someone works on a piece of land, their labor will make it their own
make it so they have a legitimate claim over the land
locke, however does not support the unlimited accumulation of property
He introduces the Lockean Proviso, which states:
“For this labour being the unquestionable property of the labourer, no man but he can have a right to what that is once joined to, at least where there is enough, and as good left in common for others.”
meaning that private property is only justified when there if enough resources left for other people
he assumes that the natural world provides abundance – not anticipating industrial capitalism (where resources can be monopolized)
He also acknowledges the fact that the introduction of money into the economy allows property accumulation to grow beyond what is just immediately useful for that one person
summary of locke: 1. property is justified by labor 2. people can acquire property only if they leave enough for others (Lockean proviso) 3. money enables greater accumulation but property must be obtained fairly
Rousseau argues that private property is not a natural right but in fact a social construct that will lead to inequality and corruption
he claims that the moment the institution of private property was the moment society became unequal
he suggests that private property eas create dwhen people first started enclosing land and calling it their own
which was not a natural right but instead based on deception and coercion
“The first man who, having enclosed a piece of ground, bethought himself of saying ‘This is mine,’ and found people simple enough to believe him, was the real founder of civil society.”
he sees property as a way to create artificial hierarchies
“you are undone if you once forget the fruits of the earth belong to us all. and the earth itself to nobody”
he believes that property leads to class divisions where some may own a lot and leave the rest with very little
which leads to oppression – as the wealthy will establish laws to protect theor property and secure the dominence over poeple
his solution like for the state is the general will
he says that “each citizen should have just enough property to ensure his freedom, but not so much that it allows him t dominate others.”
summary of rousseau: 1. property is not natural; its a social invention which leads to inequality 2. the rich use laws to protect their wealth and oppress others 3. private property must be regulated to serve the common good
Marx argues that private property is inherently exploitative and must be abolished
money possesses the power to buy and appropriate everything – making it the most valuable object
money can overcome the individual and make the human appear to posess all human abilities
money is the true agent of separation, confusion and it brings together contradictory qualities
his excerpt of shakespeare showed the transformative power of money (i.e. “black, white; foul, fair; wrong, right;” etc)
it portrays moneyas a “sweet king killer” which means money will bring chaos and disorder in the world
aking it the “common whore of mankind”
Marx criticizes this “nursery tale” explanation, arguing that the true history of primitive accumulation reveals the role of conquest, enslavement, robbery, and violence in the creation of private property and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few.
The methods of primitive accumulation were anything but “idyllic”, as the text states. The “tender annals of political economy” present a sanitized version of history, where “right and ‘labour’” were supposedly the sole means of enrichment.
Nozick challenges locke’s idea of property rights originating from mixing one’s labor with unowned resources
he asks a bunch of questions like 1. the extent of ownership 2. ownership through improvement 3. the “spillage” problem - meaning by his belief that mixing something you own with something you don’t should not automatically make the whole thing theirs, like spilling tomato juice in the ocean doesn’t make the ocean theirs 4. the role of scarcity - he challenges lockean proviso of “enough and as good left for others” and 5. the problem of infinite appropriation - meaning if the last person to appropriate something worsens another’s situation could lead to a paradoxical conclusion leading to no one being able to appropriate anything