John Locke and the origins of private property: philosophical explorations of individualism, community, and equality

New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press (1997)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

John Locke's labor theory of property is one of the seminal ideas of political philosophy and served to establish its author's reputation as one of the leading social and political thinkers of all time. Through it Locke addressed many of his most pressing concerns, and earned a reputation as an outstanding spokesman for political individualism - a reputation that lingers widely despite some partial challenges that have been raised in recent years. In this major new study Matthew Kramer offers an extensive critique of the labor theory and investigates the consequences of its downfall. With incisive analyses of the merits and failings of many aspects of Locke's political thought, Kramer advances a powerful challenge to Locke's image as an individualist. Employing a rigorously philosophical methodology, but remaining aware of the insights generated by historical approaches to Locke, Kramer concludes that Locke's political vision was in fact profoundly communitarian.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
166 (#106,760)

6 months
6 (#201,364)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Matthew Henry Kramer
Cambridge University

Citations of this work

Re-envisioning property.Peter Lindsay - 2018 - Contemporary Political Theory 17 (2):187-206.
Who “Owns” Cells and Tissues?Karen Lebacqz - 2001 - Health Care Analysis 9 (3):353-368.
Who “Owns” Cells and Tissues?Karen Lebacqz - 2001 - Health Care Analysis 9 (3):353-368.

View all 6 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references