In our discussion I think it is important to establish what a theory in

property entails. Now you may think that this is a simple and
unsophisticated move but nothing can be further than the truth than in
reality. Property theory suffers from, as the analog of physics, the
observer effect. The idea of the very act of observing a phenomenon
may very well have a significant impact on the phenomenon being
studied. Translated to property, what this means is that it is somewhat
impossible to understand what property is without understanding that
the what question is always intricately tied to the why question. In
other words, the question of what is property is heavily dependent on
answering the question why is property a meaningful institution, why
do we have property.
property is that which belongs to or with something, whether as an
attribute or as a component of said thing. In the context of this article,
property is one or more components (rather than attributes), whether
physical or incorporeal, of a person's estate; or so belonging to, as in
being owned by, a person or jointly a group of people or a legal entity
like a corporation or even a society
Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property has the
right to consume, alter, share, redefine, rent, mortgage, pawn, sell,
exchange, transfer, give away or destroy it, or to exclude others from
doing these things,[1][2][3] as well as to perhaps abandon it; whereas
regardless of the nature of the property, the owner thereof has the
right to properly use it (as a durable, mean or factor, or whatever), or
at the very least exclusively keep it.
Thevitalfirstinsightintothenatureofpropertydistinguishespropertyfrommerephysicalpossession.
Beingincontactwithanobjectisneithernecessarynorsufficientforownership.AstheEnglishjurist
JeremyBentham(17481832)observed:"ApieceofstuffwhichisactuallyintheIndiesmaybelongtome
whilethedressIwearmaynot"(p.133).Theownershiprelationisnotaphysicalrelationbetweenaperson
andtheproperty,butamoralorlegalrelationamongpersonswithrespecttotheproperty.Propertyisto
possessionasmarriageistomating.
AsBenthamasserted,therelationofownershipisnotmaterialbutmetaphysical.Whatthenisthatrelation?
Inallinstancesofownershiptherearethreevariables:someownerhascertainrightsoverthepropertythat
isowned.
Anynumberofentitiescanfillinthethird,property,variable.Houses,steelfactories,palaces,oildeposits,
andinterplanetaryexplorationvehiclescanallbeproperty,ascantaximedallions,dividends,partsofthe
broadcastspectrum,worksoffiction,andevenformsoflifethemselves.Thethingsthatarepropertyhave
almostinfinitevariety.
Thetypesofownersofpropertysortthemselvesintofamiliarcategories.Thepublicownspublicproperty,
thegovernmentownsgovernmentproperty,andprivatepersonseitherindividualsor"artificial"persons
suchascorporationsownprivateproperty.Therearealsosometimesspecialrulesforcertainkindsof

owners:forexample,couplessharerightsoverjointproperty,andinsomecountrieschurchpropertyis
exemptfromtax.Sincethepastfivehundredyearshaveseenthetorturousriseofprivatepropertyto
predominance,privatepropertywillbetheparticularfocushere.
Itistherightsthatdefinetherelationbetweenownerandownedthatdistinguishthedifferentsensesof
"property"fromeachother.Themostbasicrightsthatdefinemostkindsofownershiparetherightsof
exclusiveuse.Anownerhastherighttousetheproperty,andothersmaynotusethatpropertywithoutthe
owner'spermission.Beyondtheserightsofexclusiveuse,thereareotherrightsthatdefinevarioussenses
of"property"relatedeithertotheowner'scontrolortotheproperty'svalue.Anownermayhavetherightto
transfertheproperty(ifso,thepropertyisalienable).Anownermayhavetherighttoselltheproperty(if
so,thepropertyisacommodity).Anownermayhavetherighttoreceiveastreamofincomefromthe
property(ifso,thepropertyisanasset).
Thesecategoriesnestoroverlap.Noteverythingthatanownermayexclusivelyusemaybetransferred:one
maynotlegallytransferone'sprescriptiondrugstoanyoneelse.Noteverythingthatcanbetransferredmay
besold:forexample,UnitedStateslawallowsthetransfer,butnotthesale,ofeaglefeathers.Noris
everythingwitheconomicvaluesomethingthattheownerhastherighttosell.Trustfundsandtenured
professorshipsareassets,buttheyareassetsthatcannotbesold.
Thecoremeaningofpropertyisthatofacommodity:thatis,ofanobjectofsalablerightsofexclusiveuse.
Thecommodityistheprototypeofproperty,andsetstheparadigmagainstwhichwemeasurelesscentral
sensesofownership.Thereisa"senseinwhich"one'slungsareone'sproperty,sinceonehasexclusive
rightstousethem.Yetthereisalsoasenseinwhichtheyarenot,sinceonecannotlegallysellthemto
others.Similarlywithone'sreputation.One'sreputationcanbeafinancialasset,butthereislittlesensein
sayingthatonehasrightstoexclusiveuseofit.Reputationcanbeconsideredatypeofproperty,butits
distancefromtheprototypemakesitpropertyofaparticularlyattenuatedsort.Thecommodityisatthe
coreofcurrentideasaboutproperty,and,aswillbeseen,debatesoverwhatshouldbeputintothiscrucial
categoryhavebeensomeofthemostheated.
Therearealsosecondaryrightsandliabilitiesthataccompanyownershipinmostofitssenses.Anowner
hasarighttocompensationshouldanotherdamagehisproperty,andanownerisliableshouldherproperty
causeharmtosomeoneelse.Thesesecondaryaspectsofownershiptendtobetakenforgranted,yetthey
canbeofthefirstimportanceforinnovativeapproachestopropertyrelatedproblemssuchas
environmentalprotection.