Ariadne's Thread on Property
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  John Speaking

Speaker I want to elaborate a little on what I have said.

I believe that use rights to natural resources can be justified in the state of nature and strong property rights can be justified within a society with government but ONLY if certain moral obligations to others are recognized. In other words, certain moral obligations to the common good are built into the justification of property rights.

A classic liberal or a modern libertarian might deny what I just said and still believe that property owners will in fact act in such a way as to advance the common good or the good of the vast majority. It is sometimes said, for example, that property owners, acting in their own self-interest, will nevertheless act in such a way as to foster the common good. That claim is based on the idea that there is a natural harmony of interests. That may or may not be the case. It is an empirical claim to be tested, and I am not so sure it is true.

I am building obligations to the common good right into the foundations of property rights. That is a different approach.



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