25/02/2017 TheRighttoBePoor|Issue118|PhilosophyNow

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TheRighttoBePoor
PeterAdamsonlooksintothesurprisingderivationoftherightto Print
Enlargecover
propertyownership. Email
BackIssues
Oneofmyfavoritethingsaboutthehistoryofphilosophyisfindingoutthatideas Discuss
Categories wenowtakeforgrantedoriginallyemergedinsurprisingways.Icanthinkofno
betterexamplethanthenotionofarighttoownproperty.Notthatwecantakeit Share
Podcasts forgrantedthatwehavesucharight,ifweconsiderthehistoryofcommunismin

theTwentiethCentury.Still,itseemssuchanobviousconceptthatitmustsurely
alwayshavebeenwithus.Butyoucanmakeagoodcasethatitwasfirstexplicitly
Forum
articulatedinthelaterMiddleAges.Andheresthesurprisingpart:thethinkers
Events whofirstexploredthisnotionwereactuallyconcernedwiththeirrighttoown
nothing.
Links
Theyweremembersofthemendicantorders,especiallytheFranciscans.Following
theexampleoftheirfounder,FrancisofAssisi,Franciscansarguedthatspiritual RelatedArticles
Award
perfectionrequiresthevoluntaryembraceofpoverty.LikeBlancheinAStreetcar
NamedDesire,theydependedonthekindnessofstrangers,livingoncharitable NonsenseOn
DigitalEditions Stilts?AQuaker
donations.Hencethetermmendicant,meaning,giventobegging.Christandhis
Apostles,theFranciscansargued,hadshownthewaybygivingupalltheir ViewofHuman
possessions.Furthermore,ownershipofpropertyisaconsequenceoftheFall.Ina Rights
FOLLOWUSON
stateofinnocencetherewouldbenoneedforpossessions,sincebygenerosityof
spiritallthingswouldbeshared.However,aswellasanindividualreligious NaturalRights

commitment,theembraceofpovertyamountedtoanimplicitandsometimes
Whatisnatural
explicitpoliticalcritique,sincethemedievalchurchasaninstitutionmostcertainly
Most Most Most aboutNatural
Read Discussed Emailed didnotembracepoverty.Themendicantsveryexistencewasarebuketothe
Rights?
opulenceandworldlinessofthepapalcourtandtherestoftheecclesiastical
hierarchy. HumanRights&
1.RichardRortyOn
Rights Wrongs
Atfirst,thechurchgrudgingly
acceptedthemendicantslifestyle IsThereA
2.Astudentsguideto
nonetheless,andcriticisminitially HumanRightTo
JeanPaulSartres
camefromrivaltheologiansatthe InternetAccess?
Existentialismand
universityofParisratherthanthe
Humanism
papacy.Butintheearly1320sPope Hens,Ducks,&
3.TheDeathof JohnXXIIdeclaredtheFranciscan HumanRightsIn
PostmodernismAnd stanceincoherent,andeven China
Beyond heretical,sinceitfalselyclaimedthat
Christownednothing,whenthiswas TheAbsoluteIn
4.WhatIsLife? infactimpossible.Whyimpossible? PracticeHuman
Well,eventhemostpiousmendicant RightAgainst
5.PopCulture:An hastoeat,sincestarvingyourself Torture
FrancisofAssisibyGiotto
Overview wouldbesuicide,whichisasin,and
itmakesnosensetoclaimthatyoudontownthefoodyoueat.Evenifitis WhatAreHuman
charitablydonatedtoyou,onceitpassesintoyourpossession,itmust,well,be Rights?
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yourpossession.Itisyourownershipthatgivesyoupermissiontodestroythefood
TheUnited
byeatingit.
NationsUniversal
Themendicantsgavethisproblemdeepthought,andnotonlyasitappliedtofood. Declarationof
Ironically,theirordershadbecomeverywealthythankstothegenerosityofpious HumanRights
laypeople,withlibrariesfullofbooks,andbuildingsinwhichtoliveandwork.But
IHateYou,My
theyarguedthatthesethingsdidnotbelongtotheindividualfriars,theybelonged
LovelyFrance!
tothechurch,andthemendicantswerejustusingthem.Therefore,torespondto
criticssuchasPopeJohn,Franciscansandtheirallieshadtoworkouta
sophisticatedaccountofthedifferencebetweenmereuseandactualownership.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/118/The_Right_to_Be_Poor 1/2
25/02/2017 TheRighttoBePoor|Issue118|PhilosophyNow
Thedistinctionisactuallyratherplausible.Youmightbereadingthismagazinewithoutowningthecopy
youreperusing.Perhapsyoureatabookshopandhaventyetpaidforit,orperhapsyouborroweditfrom
afriend.Althoughyouareusingthemagazine,youdonotownit,asshownbythefactthatyouhaveno
legalrightsoverit.Ifsomeonestealsthemagazineyouveborrowed,itwillbeitstrueownerandnotyou
whohaslegalrecourseagainstthethief.

Onbehalfofthemendicants,theantipapalpolemicistMarsiliusofPaduaarguedthatonecanonlytake
ownershipofsomethingonavoluntarybasis.Whensomethingistransferredintoyourpossession,you
candeclinetotakeownership,sothattheoriginalpossessorcandemanditbackatanytime.Thisapplies
eventogoodsthataredestroyedintheprocessofusingthem,suchasfood.Thegenerousnoblewoman
whoallowsafriartoeatthebreadshehasdonatedcontinuestoownthebreadevenasitisbeing
consumed.Or,ifshevoluntarilygivesupherrightsoverthebread,thenthebreadbelongstonoone.The
mendicantsopponentsfoundthisabsurd,butMarsiliuscouldpointtoaprecedentinRomanlaw.Antique
juristshaddevelopedtheideaofaresnulliussomethingownedbynoone.Marsiliusgavetheexample
ofafishinthesea,whichbelongstonoone.Ifamendicantcatchesitbutvoluntarilydeclinestoownit,
sothatheacquiresnolegalrightoverit,itkeepsonbelongingtonooneevenasthefriargrillsandeats
it.

Withargumentslikethese,Marsiliusandothertheoristsofvoluntarypoverty,suchasPeterOliviand
WilliamofOckham,articulatedarightofownershippreciselyinordertodenythatthemendicantswere
exercisingsucharight.Afterall,inthenormalcase,peopledoconsenttoownwhatisgiventothem,or
whattheypurchase,andwhentheydosotheyacquireaspecialrightoverthesethings.Notonlyaright
ofuse,sincethatcouldbepresentevenwithoutownershipeveryoneusestheairtheybreathe,butno
oneownstheair.Rather,thisisanewkindofrightthatimposesobligationsonotherpeople.Ifyouown
bread,Icantjusteatitwithoutyourpermission,asIlegallycouldifyouwereamendicantwhodenied
thatitishisproperty.Wemightsay,then,thatpropertyownershipisarightthatwasdiscoveredprecisely
intheprocessofdisowningit.

Prof.PeterAdamson2017

PeterAdamsonistheauthorofAHistoryofPhilosophyWithoutAnyGaps,Vols1,2&3,availablefrom
OUP.TheyrebasedonhispopularHistoryofPhilosophypodcast.

ABOUT CONTACT FORAUTHORS TERMS&CONDITIONS

PhilosophyNow2017.Allrightsreserved.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/118/The_Right_to_Be_Poor 2/2