The Political Theory Of Possessive Individualism by Jay Macpherson
Hobbes to Locke
It argues that early modern liberal theory was built on the idea of the individual as the proprietor of his own person and capacities, framing society as a network of marketlike contracts grounded in property. By tracing arguments from Hobbes and other seventeenth-century thinkers to Locke, it shows how the rise of market relations reshaped concepts of freedom, consent, and the state, privileging ownership and accumulation over communal obligation. The study critiques how this possessive individualism underlies modern liberal democracy, clarifying its limits for equality and participation and suggesting the need for more genuinely democratic alternatives.
- Published
- 1962
- Nationality
- Canadian
- Length
- Medium
- Pages
- 304-328
- Original Language
- English
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- Alternate Titles
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