The Division of Property

Essay by ralphiaurenCollege, UndergraduateB+, November 2008

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The earth is now inhabited by myriads of animals including humans. The resources seem abundant and there is no system to regulate what belongs to each. There have been many theories on the best approach to justify taking resources for oneself or sharing everything amongst each other. There are multiple philosophers who have different ideas for how property should be handled. Should property be held in public or private? Plato and Socrates are known for having communist ideals about property where everything is shared. They believe it will promote unity amongst society which is a prerequisite for a utopia. Famous philosophers who are passionately against the idea of public property are Aristotle, John Locke, and Hans Hermann Hoppe. In today's society, the idea of all property being held in common is unfavorable and difficult to successfully implement.

Every civilization to date has always had a sense of private property in some shape or form.

The nations today classified as communist such as China, North Korea, and Cuba put up a communist façade but their governments allow privatization of property. The states' attempts to hinder self promotion have led to an obvious decrease in technological development and therefore overall quality of life. The current priority in China is the transition from being a farming nation into a primarily manufacturing state to bring more wealth to the country. Farmers who are unwilling to give up their farms are forced by the communist government to sell the land or have it stripped away. The act of compensating the farmer for land which is suppose to be public in the first place shows that land mixed with labor translates into ownership. In today's society, the idea of private property gained by labor is evident in every state and has become an issue no...