# Equality and Justice in What Is Property?

> Theme guide for What Is Property? by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon.

A recurring theme that true justice requires equality of conditions, and that property creates unjust inequality by privileging some over others through occupation, labor, or law.

## Where it surfaces

- [P. J. Proudhon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/p-j-proudhon): Proudhon's principle of equality is central to his critique of property and his economic theories, as seen in his early memoirs and the influence of Adam Smith.
- [What Is Property?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/what-is-property): The chapter frames the inquiry in terms of achieving true equality and justice, which property is argued to undermine.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/i): Proudhon argues that justice is the supreme law and that property must be examined against it; he asserts that arguments for property inevitably lead to equality, negating property.
- [§ 1: Property as a Natural Right](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/1-property-as-a-natural-right): Contrasts the absolute rights of liberty, equality, and security with property, which he claims is incompatible with true equality and justice.
- [§ 2: Occupation, as the Title to Property](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/2-occupation-as-the-title-to-property): The chapter argues that true justice requires equal access to the means of life, and that property based on occupation violates this equality.
- [§ 1: The Land Cannot Be Appropriated](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/1-the-land-cannot-be-appropriated): The chapter emphasizes that equality of needs demands equality of possession, rejecting unequal property rights.
- [§ 2: Universal Consent No Justification of Property](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/2-universal-consent-no-justification-of-property): The chapter argues that any valid consent would require reciprocal surrenders, leading back to equality, and that property violates this.
- [§ 3: Prescription Gives No Title to Property](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/3-prescription-gives-no-title-to-property): Proudhon insists that true justice requires equality of possessions, and that prescription, if valid, must presuppose equality.
- [§ 5: That Labor Leads to Equality of Property](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/5-that-labor-leads-to-equality-of-property): The chapter asserts that labor leads to equality, as every worker has a natural right to the value they create, challenging existing property hierarchies.
- [§ 6: That in Society All Wages Are Equal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/6-that-in-society-all-wages-are-equal): Central theme: Proudhon asserts that social equality demands equal wages, as natural inequalities neutralize themselves through association.
- [§ 7: That Inequality of Powers Is the Necessary Condition of Equality of Fortunes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/7-that-inequality-of-powers-is-the-necessary-condition-of-equality-of-fortunes): Proudhon argues that natural inequality of powers is the very condition for equality of fortunes, challenging the idea that talent deserves greater reward.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/iv): The chapter centers on the necessity and possibility of equality, countering claims that equality is unattainable and linking justice to mathematical truth.
- [Sixth Proposition](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/sixth-proposition): Proudhon argues that property is incompatible with political and civil equality.
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/v): The chapter focuses on the antagonism between the desire for property and the rule of equality, and the need to define justice.
- [§ 1 Of the Moral Sense in Man and the Animals](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/part-i-1): The chapter questions the uniqueness of human justice, suggesting that moral sense is a matter of degree, not a divine gift exclusive to humans.
- [§ 2](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/part-i-2): Central theme: justice is defined as sociability combined with equality; property as inequality is declared unjust and impossible.
- [§ 3](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/part-i-3): Proudhon asserts equality of conditions as a natural law and insists that justice (equal distribution) must precede équité (benevolence).
- [§ 1](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/part-ii-1): The chapter emphasizes man's innate search for equality and justice, and the social disorder from their misapplication.
- [Determination of the Third Form of Society. Conclusion.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/part-ii-3): Proudhon defines equality as equality of conditions and means, not of comfort, and insists that justice requires equal rights and duties.
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/endnotes): Proudhon argues that equality must be based on justice and strict right, not self-sacrifice, and critiques property for creating inequality.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/themes/equality_and_justice
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/themes