| Revision as of 13:07, 29 December 2005 edit213.193.181.61 (talk) small change: by -> be← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:13, 29 December 2005 edit undoCadr (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users3,444 edits I don't think this necessarily follows; if it's what he thought it needs a citeNext edit → | ||
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| '''Property is theft!''' is a slogan coined by the ] ] ] in his book '']''. | '''Property is theft!''' is a slogan coined by the ] ] ] in his book '']''. | ||
| Taken at face value, "Property is theft!" appears to be an ], because theft, by definition, means depriving someone of his property. However, Proudhon had his own specialized definition of property in ''What is Property''. By property, he was referring to government-granted title to idle and unoccupied land. Proudhon opposed the idea of an individual owning land that he was not using, as this would enable him to charge rent to others and thereby be paid without laboring. In addition to opposing individual ownership of idle land, he opposed the idea of social ownership as well: "instead of inferring from this that property should be shared by all, I demand, as a measure of general security, its entire abolition." For Proudhon, individuals may rightfully "occupy and use" land, but not restrict others from using land or charge rent to use land that they are not themselves putting |
Taken at face value, "Property is theft!" appears to be an ], because theft, by definition, means depriving someone of his property. However, Proudhon had his own specialized definition of property in ''What is Property''. By property, he was referring to government-granted title to idle and unoccupied land. Proudhon opposed the idea of an individual owning land that he was not using, as this would enable him to charge rent to others and thereby be paid without laboring. In addition to opposing individual ownership of idle land, he opposed the idea of social ownership as well: "instead of inferring from this that property should be shared by all, I demand, as a measure of general security, its entire abolition." For Proudhon, individuals may rightfully "occupy and use" land, but not restrict others from using land or charge rent to use land that they are not themselves putting to use. | ||
| Proudhon did not oppose property in the sense of individual ownership of the product of one's labor. He used the term ] to describe his vision of a society where individuals and democratic workers associations could trade their produce on the market. In this system, he supposes exchange value to be determined by the amount of labor required to produce a commodity, in line with the ]. | Proudhon did not oppose property in the sense of individual ownership of the product of one's labor. He used the term ] to describe his vision of a society where individuals and democratic workers associations could trade their produce on the market. In this system, he supposes exchange value to be determined by the amount of labor required to produce a commodity, in line with the ]. | ||
Revision as of 20:13, 29 December 2005
Property is theft! is a slogan coined by the French anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in his book What is Property? Or, an Inquiry into the Principle of Right of Government.
Taken at face value, "Property is theft!" appears to be an oxymoron, because theft, by definition, means depriving someone of his property. However, Proudhon had his own specialized definition of property in What is Property. By property, he was referring to government-granted title to idle and unoccupied land. Proudhon opposed the idea of an individual owning land that he was not using, as this would enable him to charge rent to others and thereby be paid without laboring. In addition to opposing individual ownership of idle land, he opposed the idea of social ownership as well: "instead of inferring from this that property should be shared by all, I demand, as a measure of general security, its entire abolition." For Proudhon, individuals may rightfully "occupy and use" land, but not restrict others from using land or charge rent to use land that they are not themselves putting to use.
Proudhon did not oppose property in the sense of individual ownership of the product of one's labor. He used the term mutualism to describe his vision of a society where individuals and democratic workers associations could trade their produce on the market. In this system, he supposes exchange value to be determined by the amount of labor required to produce a commodity, in line with the labor theory of value.
See also
- Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
- Mutualism (economic theory)
- Libertarian socialism
- Property
- Private property
- What is Property?