I am going to leave the history of the development and implementation of the idea of private property to others and only address the philosophical and moral foundations for such a principle.
How can anyone own this earth? How can anyone assume private control and use of the land? How can anyone own the air we breathe? Just one example: how could the king of England assume to own the land across "the pond" and give it (or use thereof) to a privileged few----when there were already human beings here using and sharing that land?
We come into this world with no choice or volition or action of our own. We bring absolutely nothing into this world with us. And we will take absolutely nothing from this world when we die. It is total arrogance to assume that it is our "right" to take, to use, to hoard, to refuse to share, to deny responsibility to give and help. There is a dearth of humility in denying that life is a shared experience from beginning to end and thinking that we are self-sufficient.
If I have not lost you already, let me quickly add and try to balance what I am trying to say. I am not denying or discouraging the use of individual talents and the appropriate rewarding of personal achievement. I am not arguing for faceless equality (although I would not rule this out IF everyone accepted their responsibility---but let's not be too naive) but for equitable distribution. It has been said by someone more eloquent than I, "from each according to their means and to each according to their needs."
It is a question of where we begin. Do we start with egotistical, self absorbed individualism OR do we begin with a recognition of and commitment to love and care of the "other?" Each has far reaching implications for social, economic, legal, and spiritual living. The soul of a nation is seen in the degree to which it takes care of the weakest within it. The soul of a person is seen in the degree to which they live in service to others.
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