Freedom, Society, and State - Ludwig von Mises Institute

ed to physical suffering and even death.(41)
In short, despite Proudhon's famous statement on
property and his regular condemnations of flcapitalism,"
the essent ial components of mutualism are private property,
exchange, and contract. With the one SIgnificant
exception of his stricture concerning the size of property,
mutualism is, in most other respects, not incompatibLe
with capitalism.(42)
e • Godwi n i sm ..
H. N. Bra i I s ford says of Godwi n that fl intensely
equal i tar ian, he permits property only that it may be
given away."(43) A close look at William Godwin, however,
reveals that despite his repeated condemnations of
"accumulated property" he was probably an even more
vigorous defender of private ownership than Proudhon.
The idea of property, says Godwin, "is a deduction from
the right of private judgement." Thus, he continues,
pro per t y is, "i nthe 1a s t res 0 r t, the pa 11 ad i urn 0 f all
t hat ought to be dear to us, and mus t never be approache
d but wit haw e and ve n era t ion • " ( 44 ) I n fa c t, wh i I e
otherwise eschewing violence, Godwin even goes so far as
to remark that the "right of property, with all its inequalities•.should
be defended if need be by
coe rei on. . ."
Godwin views property according to "three degrees."
The fir stand most fundamental is that a person may own
property provided U a greater sum of benefit or pleasure
wi II resul t, than could have arisen from their being
otherwise appropriated." From this he believes it foIlow
s "that noma n rna y, i nordina r y ca s e s, rna k e use 0 f my
apartment, furniture or garments, or of my food, ••.
without fIrst having obtained my consent." The crucial
function of the "flrst degree of property," is that if
everyone is granted a certaIn sphere of property, no one
wou I d be subject to the whims of another. Hence property
will provide everyone WIth a sphere of action where
he can exercise his judgement free from the influence of
others.
The second degree of property is the right of every
man "over the produce of his own labor." While this is
less fundamental than the fIrst degree, the latter does
not automatically take precedence. Instead, the fIrst
degree can only be attained by persuasion and the force
of public opinion.
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