The Meanings of Property

FAIN: EH-50373-13

Marist College (Poughkeepsie, NY 12601-1387)
Ann Elizabeth Davis (Project Director: March 2013 to April 2015)

A four-week institute for twenty-five college and university faculty to explore the changing definitions of property as a principle of social organization.

The concept of property is central to economic, ethical, and governance systems, particularly since the Enlightenment, and is the subject of many different disciplines. The goal of this project is to explore that central role, paying particular attention to the work of philosopher John R. Searle. Searle's approach views property as an example of linguistic representation of a social institution, a "social fact." This approach contrasts with others, which view property simply as a valuable object. Property is usefully the focus of interdisciplinary examination, to deepen and to interrogate the understanding of property from these various perspectives, and to consider the potential contribution of such examination to teaching and to research. Relevant related questions range from the impact of property forms on the role of the individual in modern society, to the form and effectiveness of global institutions.

Associated Products

" Selling Ourselves: The Ethics of Paid Living Kidney Donation" (Article)
Title: " Selling Ourselves: The Ethics of Paid Living Kidney Donation"
Author: Jecker, Nancy
Abstract: I propose that how we regard others' goals and preferences matters as much as minimizing harms or ensuring the best possible consequences. I propose a nonconsequentialist consideration should be honored in most instances, depending on the ethically salient features of the proposed market exchange.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2014.953858
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: The American Journal of Bioethics
Publisher: Routledge

The Evolution of the Property Relation: Understanding Paradigms, Debates, Prospects (Book)
Title: The Evolution of the Property Relation: Understanding Paradigms, Debates, Prospects
Author: Ann E. Davis
Abstract: By examining the concurrent emergence of the market, the nation state, and the notion of individual private property, The Evolution of the Property Relation provides insights into the related institutional structures and process of change based on the "property concept." Such an approach constitutes a comprehensive consideration of property as paradigm, to better understand its institutional manifestations and scientific practices, and to inform any consideration of alternatives.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 978-1-137-3521
Copy sent to NEH?: No

Exploring Property Rights in Contemporary Governance (Book)
Title: Exploring Property Rights in Contemporary Governance
Editor: Ann E. Davis, Gregory Peterson, Staci Zavattaro
Abstract: Interdisciplinary contributions examine the definition and use of property in contemporary governance systems
Year: 2017
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Type: Edited Volume
Copy sent to NEH?: No

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