THRUST FOR FREEDOM - No. 2

What is PROPERTY?

Most people think of PROPERTY in terms of material possessions. Because of this, many have successfully denounced the morality of the pursuit of material well-being and claimed it produces conflicts with human rights.

The above is a restricted and erroneous point of view on PROPERTY. A more satisfying and total concept arises from the following definition:

Property is individual man’s life and all non-procreative derivatives of his life.

PROPERTY is the basis of ownership because to own means to have and hold PROPERTY. From the definition of PROPERTY, it follows that man must first own his life before he can own anything else. Life itself is defined as primordial PROPERTY. No one may own any man but himself. Thus, PROPERTY excludes slavery at the outset.

The first derivatives of man’s life are his thoughts and ideas. Thoughts and ideas are defined as primary PROPERTY. From the definition, man owns primary PROPERTY and, through this ownership, intellectual freedom arises and inspires knowledge and production. From primary PROPERTY (ideas), stem actions. Ownership of one’s own actions (clearly a PROPERTY right) is commonly called liberty. Liberty, then, as well as life itself, is a PROPERTY right. Since all so-called human rights depend upon man’s liberty, it follows that ALL HUMAN RIGHTS ARE PROPERTY RIGHTS. There can be no conflict!

Ideas and actions produce further, or secondary, derivatives. These include the access to and use of land and the production, utilization, enjoyment, and disposal of material, tangible goods of all kinds from ash trays to television sets, from log cabins to skyscrapers, from oxcarts to jet planes.

These are called secondary PROPERTY. They are secondary both logically and chronologically. In all instances, their existence is antedated by primary PROPERTY which led to their generation and employment.

Further derivatives of man’s life lead to voluntary transactions involving PROPERTY transfers (sales, trades, gifts, etc.). Involuntary PROPERTY transfers are derivative not from the property owner’s life but from the life of the coercer. Therefore, PROPERTY ceases to remain PROPERTY and is converted to plunder when subjected to involuntary (coercive) transfer.

Children - being young human beings - have PROPERTY rights of their own and cannot themselves be owned; children are not property.

Your ownership of PROPERTY is the basis of all you are, all you have, and all you can hope to achieve.
Therefore, protect your property as though your life depended upon it. It does!