CHAPTER 3: The next logical step after learning about natural law and natural rights is to introduce the concept of  PROPERTY.

Property is what you own.  Ownership means exclusive control.  The idea of property evolved as a way to avoid conflicts.  There are four ways to justly obtain your property.  (1) produce it, (2) exchange for it, (3) receive it as a gift, and (4) homesteading (which means being the first to discover it). 

Probably no other concept is more basic to both politics and economics than the idea of property.

Consider your self.  Who owns you?   If you answer "I do" that means you have exclusive control over your actions and implies that you also have exclusive responsibility for what you do.  Are there limits on how you can use yourself?  Should other people be able to sometimes use you for the benefit of society?  These are some of the most basic of all social questions.

Let's read (and hopefully think about) what Hoppe has to say on this subject.

http://alturl.com/qnvcb

Review Questions:  What is property and why is it so important?  Is there such a thing as "public" property?  How about "intellectural" property?

Application: http://alturl.com/jqyxd