How to be a Libertarian: Property Theory
The subject of property is an immense topic, with enough material written on it to fill entire libraries to overflowing.
I will do my best here to lay out a basic and concise theory of property from a principled Libertarian perspective.
Disclaimer: I'm not infallible, nor do I claim to be. I'm always seeking to grow, adapt and refine my position. I'm confident in my position and will defend it, but I'm willing to modify or change my position when presented with new information. If anything is unclear, or needs elaboration, just ask! If you're gonna be a jerk, I will not respond. :)
DEFINITIONS, BI-ATCH!
In order to have a clear and productive conversation, definitions must be established.
Property: a scarce resource which has been homesteaded or acquired via trade with another.
Homestead: the act of taking ownership of a previously unowned or abandoned resource.
Trade: a voluntary mutually beneficial exchange between two parties for a resource each party valued more than that which they originally possessed.
Ownership: the possession and/or control of a scarce resource.
THEORY
With the above definitions in mind, let's begin with the building blocks of property theory.
Do you own yourself?
Your physical body is a scarce resource. There's only one of you. You only inhabit a limited amount of space. Your body will eventually cease to function. Therefore it is reasonable to classify one's body as a resource since it is clearly limited.
Your soul, mind, essence, energy or whatever you might want to call it is what exists within you. It has homesteaded the shell that you call your body. If that isn't metaphysical enough for you, I don't know what is.
As your body is a limited resource and has been homesteaded by your identity, it would again be reasonable to assert that you have full ownership of your body as you alone have possession and control of it (disregarding involuntary reactions and bodily functions).
Congratulations! You are a self-owner!
Hopefully, I've clearly established the qualifying factors of property:
- It must be a scarce resource
- It must be acquired by homestead or trade
- It must be possessed or controlled
But I'm not done. I still need to address the question of property rights.
In order to discuss property rights, we'll be combining the above theory of property and ethical principles.
Thanks for reading!