October 16, 2024
Natural Right to Property
The idea that property was a natural right dates back to the 18th century and has since been surpassed. By "natural," we mean what comes from nature, such as attraction to the opposite sex, love for one's children, the desire for well-being, and, above all, sociality. Property depends on the rules of society: in the Inca Empire, in our feudal Middle Ages, in Shogunate Japan, the land—fundamental property—belonged to the state (the emperor), which granted it in usufruct. One might think that in primitive societies, the prey belonged to the hunter, but it was not so: it belonged to the entire group. Even today, what I earn does not belong solely to me, but to my whole family, and moreover, the state takes an average of 40% of it.