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Property Rights

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Dee Speaking
Sometimes people talk as though property changes when civil society is formed. I don't see why they think that.

Try this thought experiment. Suppose for a moment that a group of people have always lived separately on a set of islands. Each person lives on her own island. I doubt that you would claim that person A on her island has a right to part of whatever person B produces on her island. 

Now suppose, as time goes by, person B has a lot more beans or corn than person A. Would you say that A has a right to part of B's beans? I doubt it. You might say that if B is having a great deal of trouble it would be a good thing for A to come to her aid. That's no problem. We agree about that. It's the rights issue that matters here.

Now why would things change in society? Suppose that all the people on the islands go on working but they come together to form a single society. They build bridges between the islands and travel around some. Nothing changes so far as their rights are concerned. And that's my point. A still has no right to the product of B's labor. Although, of course, they might agree to trade things for their mutual benefit.


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