What Is Property? · Theme
Property as Theft
How What Is Property? develops Property as Theft.
The central thesis of the book, arguing that property (as distinct from possession) is fundamentally robbery, as it allows the idle to extract value from the labor of others and violates natural equality.
Where it surfaces
- What Is Property?
Proudhon's famous assertion that property is theft is introduced as the foundational critique of the institution.
- I
Central thesis of the chapter: Proudhon declares 'Property is robbery' as a foundational truth, equating property with theft and challenging all existing justifications.
- § 1: Property as a Natural Right
Proudhon argues that property is not a natural right but an antisocial institution, implying it is a form of theft from society.
- § 1: The Land Cannot Be Appropriated
Proudhon argues that appropriating land, a natural gift, is illegitimate and constitutes theft from the common heritage.
- § 3: Prescription Gives No Title to Property
Implicit throughout: property derived from prescription is illegitimate, as it deprives the proletaire of their rightful share.
- IV
Proudhon extends his critique by arguing that property is not only unjust but also impossible, using arithmetic to prove its inherent contradiction.
- Demonstration
Proudhon defines property as the right to enjoy another's goods and labor, calling it robbery.
- First Proposition
Central theme: property is impossible because it demands something for nothing, i.e., rent without labor.
- Second Proposition
Property is shown as a tax on production, effectively stealing labor's value.
- Fourth Proposition
Proudhon equates the right of increase with robbery, calling it 'the right of robbery' and arguing it systematically steals from laborers.
- Seventh Proposition
Proudhon argues that property consumption without reproduction is theft, as it relies on others' production.
- Ninth Proposition
Proudhon argues that property is impossible because it is powerless against itself, implying that property inherently involves theft through inequality and force.
- V
Proudhon frames property as a pernicious error that has become a sacred principle, setting up his critique.
- § 1
Proudhon frames property as born from selfishness and private opinion, laying groundwork for his critique.
- Second Memoir: A Letter to M. Blanqui
Proudhon reiterates his central thesis that property is identical to robbery, based on gratuitous appropriation and inequality in exchange.
- Endnotes
The endnotes reinforce the idea that property is theft, particularly in critiques of literary property and the clergy's reliance on property.
