The Theory Of Property And Property Rights - 900 Words

The concept of property and property rights is a topic which many philosophers have struggled to describe. The renowned political theorists Thomas Hobbes and John Locke hold vastly different opinions in regard to the concept of property. In 1651, Hobbes outlined his views in his book, Leviathan, where he discusses societal structure and his social contract theory. Almost forty years later, Locke published his Second Treatise of Government, in which he described mankind’s state of nature, and natural rights. These two works expressed near complete opposite viewpoints in regards to the nature of property and human rights. Thomas Hobbes’ begins his Leviathan with a dark and harrowing description of the state of nature. He describes the state of nature as a state of chaos and war, where â€Å"every man is enemy to every man† (Hobbs 78). To him, the state of nature is one of constant selfish competition; a world which is completely devoid of religion, science, and cul ture. As far as property rights are concerned, there are none. According to Hobbes in this state of nature there is no such thing as rightful ownership. He writes that â€Å"every man has a right to everything, even to one another’s body. And therefore, as long as this natural right of every man to everything endureth, there can be no security to any man, how strong or wise so ever he be† (80). Hobbes believes that since there is no hope for security in the state of nature, men need to enter a social contract. In Hobbes’Show MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between Justice and the Good1551 Words   |  7 Pagesto explain the exact characteristics and outline a moral distribution of possessions. From just after the First World War to present day, liberal perspectives emerged and flourished across a variety of ideological theories and continue to influence political thinking in regards to rights, equality and freedom. 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Tavani defines intellectual property as an intangible form of property that is protected by a system of laws through which authors and inventors are given ownership rights over their creative works and inventions. There are four legal frameworks for protecting intellectual property. The first of these is copyright laws. Copyright laws protect authors. An author can also be anRead MoreDifference Between A Lockean Labour Theory Of Property893 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween a Lockean labour theory of property and what I will refer to as a force theory of property. I will attempt to show that not only does a Lockean labour theory have significant problems when applied to cases that a force view of property does not have but also that even if you want to defend various liberal principles in the natural rights tradition you can also do so using a force theory of property. What is force theory? Force theory I will define as your property is limited to that which