Source: The Bleeding Heart Libertarian
by Matt Zwolinski
“A few weeks ago, I mentioned a famous 1923 essay by Robert Hale, which argues against the defenders of laissez-faire that property rights and capitalism are inherently coercive. Applied to property in something like land or a factory, the argument has intuitive appeal. If I own a piece of land, then I have the right (backed up by state violence) to prohibit your use of it. Or to make your use of it contingent upon your acting according to my will. That certainly looks coercive, especially if there aren’t many other landowners around to whom you could look for a better deal. However, things look very different if we’re talking not about ownership of a piece of land, but of one’s self.” (10/11/24)
https://bleedingheartlibertarian.substack.com/p/coercion-property-and-self-ownership