What is Property? An Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government


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(4.6 stars; 14 reviews)

What Is Property?: or, An Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government (French: Qu'est-ce que la propriété ? ou Recherche sur le principe du Droit et du Gouvernment) is an influential work of nonfiction on the concept of property and its relation to anarchist philosophy by the French anarchist and mutualist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, first published in 1840.

In the book, Proudhon most famously declared that “property is theft”. Proudhon believed that the common conception of property conflated two distinct components which, once identified, demonstrated the difference between property used to further tyranny and property used to protect liberty. He argued that the result of an individual's labor which is currently occupied or used is a legitimate form of property. Thus, he opposed unused land being regarded as property, believing that land can only be rightfully possessed by use or occupation (which he called "possession"). As an extension of his belief that legitimate property (possession) was the result of labor and occupation, he argued against such institutions as interest on loans and rent. (17 hr 29 min)

Chapters

PJ Proudhon, his life and works, Part 1 34:47 Read by Deborah Brabyn
PJ Proudhon, his life and works, Part 2 35:54 Read by Lynne T
Preface 31:52 Read by Capybara
Chapter One, Part 1 38:55 Read by Mike
Chapter One, Part 2 37:32 Read by Lucretia B.
Chapter Two, Part 1 24:54 Read by Anna Simon
Chapter Two, Part 2 37:01 Read by Tim Makarios
Chapter Two, Part 3 33:57 Read by Mike
Chapter Three, Part 1 22:27 Read by Guero
Chapter Three, Part 2 34:34 Read by Mary Schneider
Chapter Three, Part 3 41:30 Read by Mary Schneider
Chapter Three, Part 4 50:10 Read by Lynne T
Chapter Four, Part 1 45:16 Read by Lynne T
Chapter Four, Part 2 22:23 Read by Lynne T
Chapter Four, Part 3 27:11 Read by Saab
Chapter Four, Part 4 22:55 Read by Julia Niedermaier
Chapter Four, Part 5 34:09 Read by Lynne T
Chapter Five, Part 1 30:18 Read by Diana Majlinger
Chapter Five, Part 2 26:01 Read by Elin
Chapter Five, Part 3 16:48 Read by Chris Clark
Chapter Five, Part 4 42:00 Read by Chris Clark
Chapter Five, Part 5 19:48 Read by Diana Majlinger
Second Memoir, Part 1 28:53 Read by Chris Clark
Second Memoir, Part 2 32:36 Read by Chris Clark
Second Memoir, Part 3 32:30 Read by KHand
Second Memoir, Part 4 30:38 Read by EccentricOwl
Second Memoir, Part 5 32:20 Read by KHand
Second Memoir, Part 6 23:35 Read by KHand
Second Memoir, Part 7 28:47 Read by KHand
Second Memoir, Part 8 22:31 Read by Diana Majlinger
Conclusion, Part 1 35:53 Read by Edward Kirkby
Conclusion, Part 2 38:58 Read by Edward Kirkby
Conclusion, Part 3 32:38 Read by Edward Kirkby

Reviews

Classic anarchist book


(5 stars)

Well read rendition of a classic book.