The Labor Theory of Property (Locke, Pt. 6)

Professor Barth
Professor Barth
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Published 2024-07-31
Sixth and final part of our series on John Locke, itself part of a larger series Foundations of Western Political Thought. In this video we examine Locke's famous labor theory of property. We center much of our attention on Locke's theory of land ownership, with some discussion around Locke's analysis of the claims of Native Americans to hunting grounds in North America, and the consequent clash of civilizations between Indians and frontier settlers over land.

Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
1:22 – Why are Property Rights so Essential?
8:54 – Where and How Does Property Begin?
15:40 – Property in Land
27:30 – The Wild Woods of North America
36:33 – Difficulties with Locke’s theory
38:54 – But what are the alternatives?
43:38 – Property is the Fruit of Labor
47:26 – Money and Property
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Dr. Jonathan Barth received his PhD in History from George Mason University in 2014. He specializes in the history of money and banking in the early modern period, with corollary interests in early modern politics, empire, culture, and ideas. Barth is Associate Professor of History at Arizona State University and Associate Director of the Center for American Institutions at Arizona State University.

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Visit my website www.professorbarth.com/

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this channel are my own and do not reflect the views of Arizona State University, nor are any of the views endorsed by Arizona State University.
All Comments (9)
  • @Muntu2.0-uu3sm
    Proffesor Barth, welcome back. I've gone through your playlist of The History of Money about 3 times. I'll need to get myself a copy of your book for Christmas.
  • @Georg-iw4sr
    Hello Prof! - of course no one of us wants to get devoured but from a natural point of view I very much lean towards ownership by force: you own what you can defend. War may be brutal but it is the logical successor of survival of the entity that is the most adabtable and that is the fittest. I agree this may be grim, but it is how resources are being allocated. Using our big brains to think of other ways always has and will be exploited and / or overriden by physical power.
  • @Grumpious_Maximus
    Thanks for the upload. This series was great, any thoughts on your next upcoming series Professor Barth.
  • @johnnzboy
    I'm unsure what to think about the Lockean justification for appropriating native land; I can appreciate the theory that native peoples have no natural-law basis for claiming land which is not settled and/or 'improved' but in regard to hunting grounds, even if it the land is not being possessed in the Lockean sense, it is being used for a specific purpose by a group of people since time immemorial. Therefore, even though they cannot claim it as their exclusive property, it should not mean that another can arrive and claim the land because they intend to exploit it more efficiently - they should be accorded only the same rights/access as the native users, i.e. to use the land as a hunting ground. But as you say, it's a very fuzzy area. Anyway, thank you, Prof Barth, for providing us with this fascinating series with its university-level detailed overview of the political theories of Locke. Your lecturing style is very conducive to explaining and exploring his influential ideas in an engaging and comprehensible way, and the contextual background is both illuminating and, frankly, just really damned interesting.
  • @TheWhoafish
    Awesome work, professor. A heavier consideration of land and property protection as maintenance might change some ideas put forward by Locke, such as federal land being federally “owned”, in a sense, since the protection is championed by a larger body and more active than a simple decree. Your points on conservation are good expansion of Locke’s ideas. Any chance that you speak on Henry George and his adjacent theories?
  • @that-dude4169
    Hello Professor, I would like to know when your next dollar report is? or has the overall economy been stable enough to not warrant a video on it?