Private Property and the Right to Minimal Property

Translation of https://dialoogid2.blogspot.com/2025/08/eraomand-ja-oigus-minimaalsele-omandile.html

Private Property and the Right to Minimal Property 

Karmo Talts 

 

In this work, I examine how much private property an individual is entitled to, what the concept of minimal property would mean, and whether it is possible to ensure that an individual has minimal property. 

The claim that individuals have the right to private property is very abstract. Let us try to make it more concrete. Taking away a part of a person’s assets, no matter how rich he is, is considered a violation of their right to private property. If we do not accept the view that the concept of private property is inconsistent and vague, then we must conclude that the right to private property means the right to any amount of property. Thus, the value of the private property to which an individual is entitled cannot be expressed in absolute numbers, but in percentages – an individual is entitled to one hundred percent of his assets. 

Let us now look at what this means for extremely poor people. If someone has nothing, then one hundred percent of the value of their assets is zero, and their right to private property is not violated by the fact that they have nothing. 

Now let us compare this view with the view that the right to private property can be expressed in absolute terms. If the maximum value of private property to which an individual is entitled can be expressed in absolute terms, this does not in itself mean that the very rich should be deprived of anything. Namely, taking away from them the portion of their assets that exceeds the maximum value of the assets to which an individual is entitled would not violate the rights of the rich, but keeping it would not directly violate anyone's rights either. If, however, the value of the minimum private property to which an individual is entitled can be expressed in absolute terms, then every individual is entitled to assets of at least that value, and assets of that value must be guaranteed to them. 

Let us consider whether it would be possible to guarantee an individual assets of a certain minimum value. Since an individual has the right to use his assets as he wishes, he may lose them as a result of his own actions, and no one else can guarantee his right to assets of minimal value. However, if there were a moment in an individual's life, such as the moment of adulthood, or certain moments - for example, the moment of reaching retirement age could be added to the moment of adulthood - when he must be guaranteed assets of a certain minimal value, then it would be possible to establish the level of minimal assets to which a person is entitled at that moment or at those moments. After the moment when an individual has the right to assets of minimal value, it is no longer a moment when a person must be guaranteed assets of minimal value, and if a person squanders the part of his assets that was guaranteed to him, then it is his personal matter. 

In this work, I examined how much private property an individual is entitled to and the concept of minimal property. I found that in our current concept of private property, the right to private property can be expressed in percentages – both the rich who have a lot and the poor who have nothing have the right to one hundred percent of their private assets. I also found that if the value of the assets to which a person is entitled could be expressed in absolute numbers, It is not mandatory to part of their assets from the rich, although it is permissible to take away the part that exceeds the maximum value of the assets to which the individual is entitled. However, assets of a minimum value should be guaranteed to all people. As to whether this is possible in practice, I found that no one else can permanently guarantee an individual's right to assets of a minimum value, because a person can lose his assets as a result of his own actions. However, it is theoretically possible to guarantee assets of a minimum value for a certain moment or certain moments in an individual's life.