What counts as original appropriation?

Bas van der Vossen
Additional contact information
Bas van der Vossen: University of Arizona, USA, basv@email.arizona.edu; basv@dds.nl

Politics, Philosophy & Economics, 2009, vol. 8, issue 4, 355-373

Abstract: I here defend historical entitlement theories of property rights against a popular charge. This is the objection that such theories fail because no convincing account of original appropriation exists. I argue that this argument assumes a certain reading of historical entitlement theory and I spell out an alternative reading against which it misfires. On this reading, the role of acts of original appropriation is not to justify but to individuate people’s holdings. I argue that we can identify which acts count as original appropriation against the background of a general justification for a practice of property rights. On this view, what I will call ‘natural’ acts of original appropriation are acts by which a person begins to satisfy the general conditions for justified ownership. Finally, I offer an interpretation of John Locke's theory of appropriation along these lines and argue that it provides an attractive reading of his view.

Keywords: property rights; appropriation; historical entitlement; Locke (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:pophec:v:8:y:2009:i:4:p:355-373

DOI: 10.1177/1470594X09343074

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