Possession vs. Property

Distinguishes between legitimate individual possession (use-based, temporary, and equal) and illegitimate property (exclusive, permanent, and exploitative), proposing possession as the basis for a just society.

Implicit in the distinction between legitimate possession (based on occupation or labor) and property as an unjust institution; Proudhon seeks to show that property is impossible as a principle.

Proudhon draws a critical distinction between possession (fact) and property (right), arguing that property is a legal fiction that enables abuse.

Proudhon distinguishes between mere possession (occupation) and absolute property, arguing that occupation only confers a right to use, not ownership.

The chapter distinguishes between possession (usufruct) and property (absolute ownership), arguing that law wrongly conflates them.