The Problem of Property

This book is Karl Widerquist's first statement of the indepentarian theory of property, called, Justice as the Pursuit of Accord (JPA). It argues the natural-rights-based arguments for unequal private property have failed to establish that institution as right. It is a legal privilege, inconsistent with the maximum equal freedom from interference. The book discusses how to establish and maintain a property system that best promotes freedom from interference. Paying taxes and obeying regulations is part of the purchase price of the right to control, use, or use-up any good made partly out of natural resources (i.e. all goods), because doing so interferes with people who control, use, or use-up fewer natural resources. A sufficient portion of that tax revenue has to be redistributed in the form of a Universal Basic Income to ensure the property system is in the interest of everyone.

Presents a new theory of justice in which Universal Basic Income (UBI) plays a central role Puts forth a new theory of justice that is an alternative to natural rights theory and social contract theory Provides two arguments for UBI and defends it against three of the most common ethical criticisms of UBI

Autorentext

Karl Widerquist is a Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University-Qatar. He specializes in distributive justice-the ethics of who has what. He has published dozens of articles in fields as diverse as economics, philosophy, politics, and anthropology.

Klappentext

This book is Karl Widerquist's first statement of the "indepentarian" theory of justice, or what he calls "Justice as the Pursuit of Accord" (JPA). It provides five arguments for UBI, one based on the JPA theory of freedom, another based on the JPA theory of property, and three that reply to common objections to UBI. Each of these three turns the argument around using the central concepts in a justification for UBI. Although the central argument is for one specific policy proposal, this book's perspective is much wider, including very basic criticism of social-contract-based and natural-rights-based theories of justice.

Inhalt

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Problem Of Property.- Chapter 3: Lockean Property Theory: A Menu Of Options For The Justification Of Unilateral Appropriation.- Chapter 4: Lockean Appropriation Assessed.- Chapter 5: Right-Libertarian Appropriation Assessed.- Chapter 6: The Approximation Of A Property Rights Accord.- Chapter 7: Conclusion: The Greater Of Two Goods.