Ariadne's Thread on Property
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Speaker I have referred before to James Griffin and his book On Human Rights. Griffin doesn't discuss property rights in that book, but I wonder if his approach might be used to support some sort of basic rights to property.

For Griffin, basic human rights are the necessary conditions of personhood. Personhood includes autonomy, liberty, and minimal welfare. What can we say about property? It seems to me that we cannot say that the extensive property rights advocated by classic liberals and modern libertarians are necessary for achieving or maintaining personhood. But, on the other hand, some control of personal property may be necessary. If other people or the government could take one's goods at will, what sort of autonomy or liberty would be left? Dee has made that point, and I think she is right.

So perhaps Griffin's theory would support limited property rights.



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