Freedom and Self-Ownership

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The principle that each person is his own property occupies an almost axiomatic status in right-wing liberal thought as well as in some egalitarian theories. I reject any, full or partial, notion of property with respect to oneself by showing that any appeal and any justifiability which may be associated with self-ownership can 'at most' serve to ground rights which are demonstrably nonproperty rights. As a contrast to self ownership, I introduce the nonproprietarian notion of original freedom. I compare the two with respect to the control, income, and transfer aspects of ownership and suggest that original freedom is the more intuitively acceptable.
Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)1-23
Number of pages23
JournalSocial Theory and Practice: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal of Social Philosophy
Volume26
Issue number1
StatePublished - 2000

Keywords

  • FREEDOM
  • OWNERSHIP
  • SELF
  • SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY

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