The syllogism of Hegelian property and of C.B. Macpherson’s possessive individualism

Abstract

According to the axiom established in the Commentary on § 181 of the Encyclopedia, syllogisms are the essential foundation of all that is true; thus, one cannot consider property, the object of this study, without assuming the syllogism. This article focuses on the topic of property, in particular based on Macpherson’s theory of possessive individualism, according to his book, The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism, and on the syllogism of property in Hegel, as presented in his Philosophy of Law, in the Introduction (§§ 1-33) and in the fi rst part devoted to Abstract Law (§§ 33-104). The objective is to present the model and methodologythat legitimize the modern theory of property; in other words, the problem is, How are the contractualist model and its atomist methodology criticized by Hegel and Macpherson? What is the Hegelian methodological strategy to sublate modern possessive individualism? The article initially reconstructs the theory of possessive individualism according to Macpherson, with the goal of analyzing property in modern Western societies. Then, it discusses the syllogism of Hegelian property, considering the extent to which Hegel assumes and sublates the concept of property. To conclude, it returns to Macpherson to show that property, more than an economic topic, is a political issue: the democracy of property represents a challenge for the future of humanity.

Key words: property, possessive individualism, syllogism of property, democracy