What is Property?

Overview

What is Property?, published in 1840 by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, is one of the most explosive and influential works of social and political philosophy ever written. The book opens with Proudhon's famous declaration that "property is theft" — a claim that provoked scandal and debate and that continues to challenge the conventional understanding of property rights. Proudhon's argument is not a simple rejection of all forms of property but a sophisticated critique of the particular form of property that he calls "the right of property" — the right to use, abuse, and dispose of things without regard for the needs of others.

Proudhon distinguishes between two forms of property: propriété (the right of property) and possession (the right of possession). The right of property is the right of the owner to exclude others and to use their property as they see fit, regardless of the needs of the community. The right of possession is the right of the individual to use and enjoy the things they need for their livelihood, subject to the equal rights of others. Proudhon argues that the first is unjust and should be abolished, while the second is just and should be protected.

Key Ideas

Proudhon's critique of property is based on the principle of justice. He argues that the right of property is unjust because it gives the owner the power to exclude others from the means of subsistence, to exploit the labor of others, and to accumulate wealth without limit. The right of property, in Proudhon's view, is a form of theft because it appropriates the product of collective labor and the resources of the commonwealth for the benefit of a few.

Proudhon's positive vision is a form of mutualism — a society based on the principle of reciprocity, in which individuals and communities exchange goods and services on the basis of mutual benefit, without the intervention of the state or the exploitation of capital. Proudhon's mutualism is one of the founding traditions of anarchist thought, and it continues to inspire contemporary movements for economic democracy and cooperative ownership.

Influence

What is Property? has been enormously influential in the anarchist tradition, in socialist thought, and in debates about the nature and justification of property rights. Proudhon's distinction between property and possession has shaped subsequent discussions of the justice of property, and his critique of the right of property remains a central reference point in debates about economic justice and the distribution of wealth.

Sources

1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "Pierre-Joseph Proudhon." Comprehensive survey of Proudhon's life and thought.
2. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "Anarchism." Analysis of the anarchist tradition.