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World‐ownership, self‐ownership, and equality in Georgist philosophy

Darrel Moellendorf (Philosophy Department, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA)

International Journal of Social Economics

ISSN: 0306-8293

Article publication date: 13 March 2009

347

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the accounts of self‐ and world‐ownership in the social philosophy of Henry George, and a Georgist social theorist Nicolaus Tideman.

Design/methodology/approach

The accounts of George and Tideman are evaluated using the tool of conceptual and logical analysis.

Findings

The paper argues that although the institutional proposals of Georgist are important and worth serious consideration, there are fundamental problems with the Georgist accounts of self‐ and world‐ownership.

Practical implications

The Georgist institutional recommendation of a land tax is not necessarily rejected by the criticism of the Georgist accounts of self‐ and world‐ownership.

Originality/value

The value of this paper derives from its careful analytic evaluation of the most basic concepts of the Georgist tradition. It serves, then, as a philosophical evaluation of that tradition and of those parts of the tradition that Georgism share with libertarianism generally. It also serves as a comparison of the basic commitments of Georgism and liberal egalitarianism.

Keywords

Citation

Moellendorf, D. (2009), "World‐ownership, self‐ownership, and equality in Georgist philosophy", International Journal of Social Economics, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 473-488. https://doi.org/10.1108/03068290910947985

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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