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Private Property and the Law of Nature in Locke's Two Treatise s: The Best Advantage of Life and Convenience
Author(s) -
Reno B. Jeffrey
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
american journal of economics and sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1536-7150
pISSN - 0002-9246
DOI - 10.1111/j.1536-7150.2009.00645.x
Subject(s) - property (philosophy) , explication , doctrine , argument (complex analysis) , private property , tangible property , law and economics , law , property law , intersection (aeronautics) , sociology , dual (grammatical number) , philosophy , political science , epistemology , economics , biochemistry , chemistry , linguistics , engineering , aerospace engineering
A bstract The study of policy lies at the intersection of economics and ethics, dealing, to a great extent, with private property. Policy design therefore assumes an understanding of the relationship between property and human nature, a matter of great interest to John Locke. Locke's teaching, however, is far from clear, often composed of a set of dual arguments. Yet close attention to the dualistic arguments is revealing: the two objects Locke associates with property—life and convenience—correspond to the two bases upon which he grounds the right to property: labor and consent. His argument reflects the changing economic nature of property, and also provides insight into the poles within which people behave according to the Law of Nature. Thus, a full explication of the relationship between Locke's Law of Nature and doctrine of property illuminates the economic and ethical principles that ought to inform policymakers and analysts.