Hegel on Property

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the theory of property in Hegel's thought. The book contends that Hegel provides an alternative foundation for property rights that can goes beyond the traditional Lockean paradigm. For Hegel, not only must property be defended, but anyone, in order to be called a person, must own personal property. The idea of a person or a social class that does not own property is considered by Hegel to be irrational. The systematic implications of this viewpoint are considerable. If it is not rational for people to exist without owning property, then personal property becomes a necessary condition for the existence of abstract freedom, which in turn is the basis for more complex forms of freedom and for the possibility of a political community. Hegel’s arguments, placed within their legal and historical contexts, are thereby shown to be profoundly pertinent to current debates on property rights. Hegel on Property is essential reading for all scholars of G.W.F. Hegel. It is also ideal for scholars of German idealism more broadly and for researchers of the history of political thought.