Progress and Poverty · Chapter
The Injustice of Private Property in Land explained
This chapter examines the ethical foundation of private property in land, arguing that while individual ownership of produced goods is justified by the natural right of a person to their own labor, land is a gift of nature to all people equ
What happens
This chapter examines the ethical foundation of private property in land, arguing that while individual ownership of produced goods is justified by the natural right of a person to their own labor, land is a gift of nature to all people equally. Therefore, private property in land is inherently unjust, as it denies equal access to natural resources and allows landowners to expropriate the fruits of others' labor. The chapter calls for recognition of this injustice as a prerequisite for any just remedy.
Themes in this chapter
Land Ownership and Rent
The chapter argues that private property in land is unjust because land is a natural gift, not produced by labor, and its exclusive ownership denies equal rights.
Social Justice and Equality
The narrator asserts that all humans have an equal and inalienable right to the use of land, and that private property in land violates this fundamental equality.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator presents the ethical argument against private property in land, grounding justice in the natural right of individuals to themselves and their labor.
Key passages
“That alone is wise which is just; that alone is enduring which is right.”
Only actions that are just can be truly wise, and only what is right can last over time.
The narrator establishes the ethical foundation for the argument, linking justice to long-term societal stability.
“The equal right of all men to the use of land is as clear as their equal right to breathe the air—it is a right proclaimed by the fact of their existence.”
Every person has an obvious and fundamental right to use land, just as they have a right to breathe, because their very existence implies this right.
This statement encapsulates the core ethical claim that land is a common inheritance, not subject to private ownership.