The Distribution of Property  Do you think distribution of property intersects with individual liberties?  If liberty is considered a fundamental right, then individuals have to have a say on their own property. Don’t they?  Can we consider taxation as a means of re-distribution of property?  How about moral responsibility?  What they call it today as social responsibility in some ways.

 If we need a government to protect us, to deliver justice and so on, then who needs to pay for the expenses?  Mill thinks that individuals have duty to pay their taxes and help out those who are needy and poor.  The duty might be moral or enforced by the law.  What if individuals do not feel obliged to pay for others?  Isn’t that a violation of individual freedom at the end?  Do you think an impoverished society or a poor segment of a society is a threat to those who are wealthy or financially better off?

 Why should rich care for poor, and maybe care for even lazy?  Don’t you think that your behaviors should have a consequence?  Considering such topics, Mill makes a direct reference to utilitarianism.  He thinks that it is in benefit of wealthy to give up some of the wealth in exchange for better utility.  Locke thinks that it is a natural right for individuals to have property based on their ability to acquire it.

 Robert Nozick goes even further saying that government should be minimal, limited to providing security and individual property rights.  It should leave the business of taking care of the poor and needy to free market, and people as they are human, will take care of needy through donations and gifts.  Libertarian theory proposes that no one should interfere in the right of property, neither individuals nor government.  Property is fundamental aspect of liberty and its individuals’ “private sphere”, which no one should interfere without consent.

 A view in libertarian approach says that pure liberty will lead inequalities.  Inequalities will eventually bring unjust and a threat to liberties.  What they call this movement is welfare liberalism. It emphasizes on justice.  Rich will get richer and poor even get poorer.  There is a need for government to balance the distribution.  If about 35 percent of the wealth is in the hands of 1 percent in US, do you think those who hold this wealth are the smartest and the rest of the society is not that smart?

 Or do you think they work harder than the rest of the society?  What if they were born into a rich family and found the wealth ready for them?  What about they even do not work as hard as half of what a construction worker does in a normal working day?  The question is how you provide a system that can treat people justly.  How to reach a more balanced system that everyone makes the end at least.  As you already know, proportion of property you own is directly related to proportion of your liberties.

Locke on Property  One important concern is if the individual who holds the property has the moral right to have it.  Nozick thinks that theory of property rights needs three principles: Justice in initial acquisition, justice in transfer and justice in rectification.  Locke asks, how could something in the nature, part of nature be someone’s property?  From the beginning, everything in the nature was free of owner.

 Think of this book. It is paper, came from a tree, it came from a seed and seed was not owned by anyone.  But, the publishing company makes money from the book.  How could they gain the right of ownership of that paper and exclude others from claiming ownership? Therefore, this needs a justification.  Locke thinks that it is fundamental law of nature that men need to take the natural resources in his belonging otherwise we would all die.  To survive, we must be permitted to take what we need.

 Since we need to make use of nature to survive, we need to be just and obey the rules that God put in place as a natural law.  We should not take more than what we need and we should leave enough and as good to others.  These two arguments create bases for Locke’s notion of property.  When it comes to owning property, to justify it, Locke says work of your hand and labor of your body justifies it.  If no one owns it than you have right to claim ownership since you put an effort in it.

 Those who worked and farmed a plot of land first should be allowed to own it.  If during your lifetime you own the land because you put a work in it and you may have a right to claim ownership.  How about passing that ownership to your children?  You did not create the land; it was there when you took over.

The Free Market  Free market approach is based on rational choice, which is ultimately utilitarian.  If we like to make the most out of what we have in hand as the property we need to leave it to private owners who also have the right to sell it or transfer it to others as they wish.  This approach is not much concerned with how the property was initially obtained, but it is concerned with benefits and inheritance more.  Individuals should hold the property, this should not be questioned.

 The issue of justice in free market approach comes into question when the transfer of property takes place, not initial acquisition process.  The mechanism of the transfer of the property should take place based on free market, or capitalist market.  The pure capitalist market has some essential principles: There are secure property rights and property is held by individuals or firms.  Property includes land, raw materials and goods as well as labor.  In this market, goods are produced not to satisfy the consumers, but to make profit.

 All goods and services are distributed by voluntary exchange, protection of it by laws; it is a matter of free competition and supply – demand issue.  Free competition is essential for enterprise.  This model is in theory and it is assumed that is the best.  But, in reality, it is hard to find a pure market economy.  Almost all markets are regulated or modified in some ways; either by taxation or by subsidizing some sectors or banning some from production of some goods and services.  Even some governments, like Turkey, own enterprises, which they are not supposed to in a free market economy.

 Voluntary sector is an important sector in the free market that does not fit the pure theory of free market.  Some goods cannot be traded on the open and free market, such as heroin or platinum.  Some of the services, such as postal services and military service, are in hands of governments in some countries.  The opposite of free market is planned economy.  In this model of economy, goods and services are not produced for profit but to satisfy the needs of demanders.  The authority controls the amount of production and the way production is distributed.

 Goods and services are controlled by government.  A central plan is made for the amount and form of production.  Two troubles with consumer part in this system: How do the planners know what I want and why should planners take the trouble to make sure I get what I want?  As we know, real planned economies, those socialist economies, always have shortage of goods and services.  Not just shortage in amount, but low in quality too.  In free market, decisions are left to individuals.

 The concern is how someone would know what really individuals need.  What if there is a shortage of some goods and waste or overproduction of others.  The counter idea to the free market economy thinks this should be regulated.  Supply and demand should be balanced.  This approach, although it has a very good point and intention, has failed in 20 th century.  It created a black market.

 Economies have not worked as they were planned.  How the marked equilibrium is reached in free market?  Do you think there is a waste or a potential for waste in free market?  Do you think, overproduction and greed create needs for overconsumption?  It is argued that market has two key features: It signal information and it gives people an incentive to respond that information and change their production pattern.

 The role of competition should not be forgotten in this process.  It will draw down or draw up the prices based on supply and demand equilibrium.  How about common goods? A clean air, unpolluted water, shining street lights and so on.  Does utilitarian care for these aspects that effect all of us as the members of society?  Self-centric way of production may bring disaster for coming generations if not regulated by laws.

 What about workers’ situation?  Are they being treated humanely?  In Bangladesh, India, Vietnam… and many countries that produce goods for western countries…