Man being born, as has been proved, with a title to perfect freedom,
and an uncontrouled enjoyment of all the rights and privileges of the law
of nature, equally with any other man, or number of men in the world, hath
by nature a power, . . . to preserve his property, that is, his life, liberty
and estate, against the injuries and attempts of other men . . . .
-- John Locke, The
Second Treatise of Government (1690), ch. 7, sec. 87.
The great and chief end, therefore, of men’s uniting into commonwealths,
and putting themselves under government, is the preservation of their property.
-- John Locke, The Second Treatise of
Government (1690), ch. 9, sec. 124.
* * * *
No one can doubt that the convention for the distinction of property,
and for the stability of possession, is of all circumstances the most necessary
to the establishment of human society, and that, after the agreement for
the fixing and observing of this rule, there remains little or nothing
to be done towards settling a perfect harmony and concord.
-- David Hume, A
Treatise of Human Nature (1740), Book III, part II, sec. ii.
[T]he three fundamental laws of nature [are] that of the stability
of possession, of its transference by consent, and of the performance
of promises. Tis on the strict observance of those three laws,
that the peace and security of human society entirely depend; nor is there
any possibility of establishing a good correspondence among men, where
these are neglected. Society is absolutely necessary for the well-being
of men; and these are as necessary to the support of society.
-- David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature
(1740), Book III, part II, sec. vi (emphasis in original).
* * * *
There is nothing which so generally strikes the imagination, and engages
the affections of mankind, as the right of property; or that sole and despotic
dominion which one man claims and exercises over the external things of
the world, in total exclusion of the right of any other individual in the
universe.
-- William Blackstone, Commentaries
on the Laws of England (1765-69), Book II, chapter 1.
* * * *
Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence
from the lowest barbarism but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration
of justice: all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things.
-- Adam Smith, lecture (1755), as reported
by Dugald Stewart.
The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition,
when suffered to exert itself with freedom and security, is so powerful
a principle, that it is alone, and without any assistance, . . . capable
of carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity . . . .
-- Adam Smith, The
Wealth of Nations (1776), Book IV, ch. V.b, para. 43.
All systems either of preference or of restraint, therefore, being thus
completely taken away, the obvious and simple system of natural liberty
establishes itself of its own accord. Every man, as long as he does not
violate the laws of justice, is left perfectly free to pursue his own interest
his own way, and to bring both his industry and capital into competition
with those of any other man, or order of men. The sovereign is completely
discharged from a duty, in the attempting to perform which he must always
be exposed to innumerable delusions, and for the proper performance of
which no human wisdom or knowledge could ever be sufficient; the duty of
superintending the industry of private people, and of directing it towards
the employments most suitable to the interest of the society. According
to the system of natural liberty, the sovereign has only three duties to
attend to; three duties of great importance, indeed, but plain and intelligible
to common understandings: first, the duty of protecting the society from
violence and invasion of other independent societies; secondly, the duty
of protecting, as far as possible, every member of the society from the
injustice or oppression of every other member of it, or the duty of establishing
an exact administration of justice; and, thirdly, the duty of erecting
and maintaining certain public works and certain public institutions which
it can never be for the interest of any individual, or small number of
individuals, to erect and maintain; because the profit could never repay
the expence to any individual or small number of individuals, though it
may frequently do much more than repay it to a great society.
-- Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
(1776), Book IV, ch. IX, para. 51 (emphasis added).
Commerce and manufactures can seldom flourish long
in any state which does not enjoy a regular administration of justice,
in which the people do not feel themselves secure in the possession of
their property, in which the faith of contracts is not supported by law,
and in which the authority of the state is not supposed to be regularly
employed in enforcing the payment of debts from all those who are able
to pay. Commerce and manufactures, in short, can seldom flourish
in any state in which there is not a certain degree of confidence in the
justice of government.
-- Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations
(1776), Book V, ch. III, para. 7.
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