Drawing on both historical and contemporary philosophical debates, Ownership by Agreement offers a fresh perspective on economic justice by reframing conventional conceptions of ownership.
The book is grounded on two primary ideas. Political scientist and philosopher Peter Lindsay first explores ownership as a relationship between people, rather than as one between people and the things they own. The second idea is that like all relationships, a just system of ownership is one in which the terms meet with the rational interests of the participants. The justice of any system is thus determined by the extent to which the participants reach a mutually beneficial agreement. In this way of thinking, a system is only as just as the people living under it would say it is – whatever its terms. The book further sheds light on common issues such as economic regulations, welfare, public goods, and the ownership of capital.
Tying together the intersecting threads of philosophical debate and economic policy, Lindsay encourages readers to question long-held power dynamics and forge more just societies for all.