John Locke Property Rights Analysis

In the state of nature, land is considered to be a public good; “The earth, and all that is therein, is given to men for the support and comfort of their being” (Locke, 2nd Treatise, Section 26), meaning that the resources provided by the earth, are given to mankind as a whole. However, our right to own property is not an inalienable right, but rather a conventional right. With the formation of society, and “acceptance” of government, the definition of property changes, thus the right to it becomes conventional. A true inalienable right would remain so, despite the status of government.

To explain the transition of property from an inalienable right to a conventional right, it is first important that one understands John Locke’s moral analysis

Locke states that in order for government to form, everyone has to agree that they will abide by it; government exists only by the consent of the people. For example, think about money. Who decided that U.S. currency was an acceptable form of trade; did everyone vote on it? Well, by being a functional member of society in this country, you are informally agreeing that dollars are an acceptable form of trade. The purpose of government is to protect the rights of the people and promote public good. Owning property, other than one’s self, is a right given by society. One has the right to property; as long as there is plenty left that is considered to be just as good, or just as valuable. This societal given right is where property becomes a conventional right rather than an inalienable

Considering the different stages that Locke defines property, as one’s self to one’s labor to one’s property, it is important to think about instances in which some of those aspects might be altered in today’s society. At no point in a person’s life will your right to property in terms of you own self be taken from you. But, if you take property in terms of what you have put your labor into, i.e. a family farm, small business, or anything else for that matter, there are some occasions in which the right to those properties could be altered or taken away. For example, say you grow potatoes, and you put all of your time and effort into growing them; the land that you grew them on, and the potatoes, are now your property. Now, you want to sell them. In today’s society, you have to have a license or permit so sell publicly. If you do so without obtaining the needed authorization, there will be consequences. This is why I would consider property, other than one’s self, to be a conventional right; a right that is based on what is generally done or believed. Key word is “based”, meaning that it could change slightly depending on the circumstance.

John Locke’s views on property are thought to be among the most criticized of his contributions in political thought. The most important aspects to Locke’s treatment of property are; “one may only appropriate as much