Synopses & Reviews
The Washington correspondent of The American Spectator looks at an individual's right to own private property in a sweeping history that will become a classic
Every day, we witness the further encroachment of the Federal Government upon our rights as property owners. Whether it's the need to obtain a permit to build a garage or the loss of farmland to federally-protected wildlife preserves, the ability of a person to completely control what he or she owns is increasingly eroded. But what gives us the right to own and control private property, secure from the intrusion of others? In The Noblest Triumph, Tom Bethell looks at the history of property rights and considers the basis of our claim. Beginning with the ancient Greeks and working his way up to the present day, Bethell looks at basic ideas from Plato, Smith, Blackstone, Bentham, Marx, Mill and others about the right to own property and the way it is inextricably bound to concepts of justice and liberty. The Noblest Triumph: Property and Prosperity Through the Ages is an indispensable book that gives readers the right to say, "This is mine".
Review
"...bold and unconventional..." --Richard Pipes,
Commentary"Bethell's book is enjoyable...learned and amusing..." --New York Times Book Review
"...a marvelous, wide-angled look at the concept of property rights." --Library Journal
"...wide-ranging and elegantly written..." --Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
The critically acclaimed history of property rights.
Synopsis
In
The Noblest Triumph, Tom Bethell looks at the history of property rights and shows that the key role played by the institution of private property has been misunderstood by Western elites for more than a century. Beginning with the ancient Greeks and arriving at the present day, Bethell looks at basic ideas about property found in the writings of Plato, Adam Smith, Blackstone, Bentham, Marx, Mill, and others. He shows that the institution of property is inextricably tied to traditional conceptions of justice and liberty, and he argues that prosperity and civilization can only arise where private property is securely held by the people.
The Noblest Triumph is an indispensable book for anyone interested in this fundamental aspect of civilization and the progress of humankind through the ages.
About the Author
Tom Bethell is the Washington, DC correspondent for
The American Spectatorand a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
Table of Contents
Introduction *
First Things * The Blessings of Property * Property, Law and Economy *
The Free Rider Problem * Platos Conceit * The Logic of the Commons *
Roman and Common Law * Romans and Countrymen * The English Lead *
FromSacred to Profane * The Economists Oversight * Marx, Mill, and Marshall *
The New Man * Owens Trinity of Evils * The Soviet Experiment *
Right and Just * To Each His Due * Rights--and Property Rights *
Americas Double Standard * Why Isnt the Whole World Developed? * Taking Liberties Abroad *
Historical Puzzles * Property in Araby * Why Did Ireland Starve? *
Issues of the Day * Intellectual Property * Property and the Environment *
Issues at Home * The Feudal Temptation * The Rediscovery of Property *
A New Beginning * China, Property and Democracy