What Is Property? · Chapter
III explained
Proudhon critiques the theory that property is born of labor, arguing that it implies equality and contradicts the Civil Code.
What happens
Proudhon critiques the theory that property is born of labor, arguing that it implies equality and contradicts the Civil Code. He examines the proprietor's defenses—occupation, labor, consent, and prescription—and asserts that labor cannot justify property without leading to the restitution of appropriated labor.
Themes in this chapter
Labor and Exploitation
Proudhon argues that labor cannot justify property without leading to exploitation and the need for restitution.
Possession vs. Property
The chapter contrasts occupation and labor as competing foundations for property rights.
Critique of Law and Government
Proudhon criticizes the Civil Code and legal system for contradicting the labor theory of property.
Inequality of Wealth
The chapter highlights how property based on labor still results in vast inequality and dispossession.
Characters to notice
- Pierre Joseph Proudhon
Author and primary voice; argues against labor as a basis for property and calls for restitution of appropriated labor.
- M. Cousin
Quoted for the statement that to labor it is necessary to occupy.
- Jean Jacques Rousseau
Quoted for his critique of the rich claiming property through labor.
- M. Hennequin
Mentioned as declaring property the daughter of labor and the problem solved.
Key passages
“You have labored! but what is there in common between the labor which duty compels you to perform, and the appropriation of things in which there is a common interest?”
Proudhon questions the link between individual labor and exclusive ownership of common resources.
Highlights the contradiction between labor and property.
“You have labored! have you never made others labor? Why, then, have they lost in laboring for you what you have gained in not laboring for them?”
Proudhon accuses proprietors of exploiting others' labor for their own gain.
Central to the theme of labor and exploitation.
“We will count, weigh, and measure them. It will be the judgment of Balthasar; for I swear by balance, level, and square, that if you have appropriated another’s labor in any way whatsoever, you shall restore it every stroke.”
Proudhon demands a precise accounting and restitution of any labor appropriated by the proprietor.
Emphasizes the call for justice and equality.