2 research outputs found
Liberty, Equality and the Boundaries of Ownership: Thomas Paine's Theory of Property'
types: ArticleThomas Paine is customarily regarded as a pamphleteer, rhetorician, and
polemicist rather than a significant political theorist. This article takes the philosophical
content of Paine’s thought seriously and argues that his account of property rights
constitutes a distinct contribution to theoretical debates on the subject. Drawing on
Paine’s Agrarian Justice and other writings, this article shows that his theory of
property defends a libertarian concern with private ownership that contains within its
logic an egalitarian commitment to the redistribution of resources. Paine’s justification
of property is distinct from that of various other important figures in the history of
ideas (including Grotius, Pufendorf, and Locke) and represents his simultaneous
commitment to foundational liberal values of individual freedom and moral equality